


Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky

by DesolationPoint



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of Darkness & Explorers of Sky
Genre: Blood, Exploration, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Doubt, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-09-01 15:16:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 40,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16767697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesolationPoint/pseuds/DesolationPoint
Summary: Nate, a human turned Zorua, is found by a Shinx unconscious on a beach, with his only memory being that he used to be human. Now he has been thrust out on a treacherous journey to find out the secret about himself and this strange new world.





	1. A Storm at Sea

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't going to start uploading this until Friday, but I thought why not?  
> This will be uploaded every Sunday until I get to the current chapters I'm working on since I'm uploading on this on my other site first.

*strike*

"Whoa! A-are you okay?" The storm fiercely howled on, pelting us with freezing rain and hail. It was pitch black, the only source of light being the bolts of lightning, which threatened to take us off our path. "NO! ...Don't let go!" His grip tightened, but I continued to fall nonetheless.

*strike*

"I-I can't!" I was quickly losing my grip on my partner. If I didn't hold on, I would be lost forever! "Help me!"

"It's just a-a little longer!" he panted. I desperately clung to him but it was to no avail.

*strike*

"I can't... Hold on..." With that, my grip was completely lost, sending me into a black void.

* * *

Along the coastal side of a small settlement known as Treasure Town, not a single pokemon dared to leave their homes on a night like this. With the waves crashing against the rocks, sending salty water flying into the windy air, and howling wind stirring up the feral pokemon outside. Relentless rain fell into the unforgiving sea, while thundering lighting lit up the sky.

A lone shinx sat in his nest, gazing in wonder at the dreadful storm. Unable to sleep comfortably, the shinx couldn't wait for the storm to end.

"It doesn't seem to be letting up, though," he sighed. He sat up in his nest, his tail flicked irritably behind him as he glared at the rain.

Sheltered inside the rocky cave he should have felt safe; however, the roaring thunder wouldn't allow him to rest. _I don't think I've ever seen a storm this bad._ He glanced skeptically at the dark sky, praying it would end soon. _I hope it hasn't caused any damage._ _I have such a big day tomorrow, I don't want a storm to ruin it for me!_

Thoughts like this would keep him up for hours upon hours, as he had been planning this day for months. _I have to get some rest._

With a happy sigh, the shinx turned in his nest, burying his face into the straw in an attempt to ignore the terrifying storm outside.

* * *

"Ugh... Where... Where am I?"

On the soft, warm sand lied a small fox like pokemon. He was unable to see, much less move due to his throbbing headache. The brightness of the sun wasn't much help either, so there wasn't anything he could do but lie there helpless.

"I can't... Drifting off..." he let out a long breath, slowly giving into the blackness.

* * *

"Is there anything I can do to help?" the shinx asked. The Kecleon brothers shook their heads, staring at their damaged shop.

A large tree had toppled over, landing onto their shop. Berries, TMs, and other items were thrown about by the wind. Duskull's bank was damaged also, but it wasn't nearly as bad; the same goes for Kangaskhan's storage. Although, Ditto's Dojo took massive damage and repairs probably wouldn't be done for months.

"There's no need lad, Timburr and Excadrill are already on their way," the purple kecleon mumbled. His brother placed a claw on his shoulder and sent him an assuring look.

"Thanks for the offer though." With that, the two brothers turned to their totaled shop, letting out a few sad chirps. _I guess there was more damaged than I thought._ The shinx shook his head and continued on towards the intersection.

He stopped in the center of the intersection glancing down the three other paths. He knew for sure that the one leading south went to the beach since he goes there nearly every morning to watch the Krabby spit out bubbles. He dared not go down the one heading east, which lead into many uncharted areas and Mystery Dungeons. But the one he was taking lead north, leading to Wigglytuff's Guild.

With a nervous sigh, the shinx walked up the stairs, going slower with each step he climbed. _Get over this! You do this every time!_

He had come here many times before; however, he always bolted in the other direction. The shinx was feeling more nervous than the last trip. He couldn't even step on the grate most of the time! But he couldn't let this...pathetic fear stop him again. _I left my clan to join this guild! I have to do this!_

The grate sat just in front of the gate, embedded into the ground. He couldn't even _see_ the bottom, it was just a pitch black void down there! It terrified him to know that a pokemon sat down there just...watching us, waiting for us to step on the grate. He shivered, nearly tempted to just leave again. He continued to pace in front of the grate before letting out a loud sigh. _I have to do this!_

He placed a rock with strange symbols on the dirt, just before the grate. "My treasure..."

Just after he left his clan, he saw a strange rock embedded in the dirt. He didn't know why he dug it up, but there was a strange pull towards it. He had kept it with him ever since then, it was supposed to give him a reason... No. It was supposed to give him the confidence to join the guild.

"I want to find the meaning in this stone. It could be worth a lot of money, or even lead me on new adventures," he paused his tail curling nervously behind him. "If I didn't find this, I might have returned to my clan..." He shook his head, placing his treasure back in his bag. _Why am I talking like this? I'm here to join the guild!_ Without a second thought, he confidently stepped onto the grate.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!" He nearly leaped out of his fur at the loud pitched voice deep below him.

"WHO'S FOOTPRINT!" Another voice boomed, almost sending him running.

"The footprint is Shinx's! It belongs to Shinx!"

The Shinx backed off immediately, too frightened by the voices. "Th-that was way too shocking!" He sighed in relief at the silence but was soon disappointed at his own cowardness.

"I just can't... My fragment was supposed to inspire me!" he hissed. He backed away from the grate, then solemnly followed the path leading south. _I'm too much of a coward._ "I told myself that today was the day, but I couldn't work up the courage."

With a final sigh of disappointment, the shinx trotted toward the southern path.

"Hey, did you hear that Zubat?"

Of course, the shinx wouldn't have noticed the two pokemon hiding behind the bushes. A Koffing and Zubat peered at the shinx with malicious interest.

"You bet I did," he laughed, a grin swiftly spreading across his face.

"That little wimp was pacing around, got some sort of treasure, didn't he?" The koffing laughed. Zubat flapped his wings eagerly and flew down the path a little.

"He said it was some sort of treasure, that's for sure." He paused in thought before laughing hysterically. "I say we go after him, knock this little wimp out and take that treasure for ourselves."

"I say that's a great plan," the Koffing hissed.

Without another word, the duo followed the path that the oblivious shinx took.

* * *

The sound of voices is what woke me up. It was the same one, at least that's what I thought. "Err..." _Where am I?_

I struggled to my feet, nearly falling over due to nausea. _Is that... Is that sand?_ I kept my eyes shut to stop feeling dizzy, but that odd feeling beneath my hands was definitely sand. I could even smell salt from the waves, I was definitely on a beach.

"You're awake!" It was a male's voice, it must've been the voice from before. "You weren't moving at all, so I was seriously worried! Do you remember how you ended up here? Were you caught in the storm? And why are you alone, did your pack leave you?"

"S-slow down!" _Was I unconscious? My pack? Just what is he talking about?_ I was going to ask but when I opened my eyes, I only saw a shinx. _Was I hallucinating?_

"Oh, I'm sorry." My eyes widened in shock. _I have to be hearing things! Pokemon don't talk!_ "Do you at least remember your name? Mine's Thunder, what's yours?"

"S-stay away from me!" I yelled. I went to back up but toppled over my own feet. _Why am I walking so weird? And why is this shinx so big!_

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, really. I just want-"

"I-I don't understand! You're just a... Just a shinx!" I yelled. I forced myself into a sitting position, too dizzy to run away. "You're not supposed to talk!" The shinx tilted his head, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"Umm... Of course, I can. _All_ pokemon can talk... Well, feral pokemon can't, but that's different." He stared at me, his tail flicking back and forth. "Have you hit your head?" I shook my head.

"I-I have to be dreaming. There's no such thing as a talking pokemon!" He stared at me, with his head tilted, for a moment before finally deciding to speak up.

"You know, you're strange for a Zorua," he said. I stared at him in shock. _Zorua?_

"Just what are...you..." He glanced down, finally noticing the red stumps in place of my hands. _Wait... Those are paws!_ I looked again at my footprints, but they were just little circles.

In a rush of panic, I ran over to the water and looked down into my reflection. Only, I saw a zorua staring back at me. "It's true! I-I've turned into a Zorua!" I fell back into the sand, a few tears dripped into the salty water. _How did this happen? I don't remember anything!_

"Wait, hold on! Turned into a Zorua? I know Zorua can turn into other pokemon, but what you're saying is..." He muttered. He narrowed his eyes and took a step back. "Are you playing some sort of trick on me?"

"N-no, I'm not!" I growled, getting frustrated with everything happening so fast. "I'm really not, It's just... I'm a human, or at least I was one."

" _Human!_ I'm sorry, you had to have hit your head! Humans went extinct years ago," he replied. _E-extinct?_ He took a step forwards, an uncertain look on his face. "Are you telling the truth?"

"Of course I am!" He flinched, sending me an apologetic look. "I was a human, but now... Now I'm a Zorua." I went silent for a moment, but the shinx slowly began to talk instead.

"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter right this moment," he started. He walked forward and hesitantly sat beside me. "Do you at least remember your name?"

"My name?" _What is my name?_ _It's... Gosh, what is my name? Oh! I remember now!_ "It's Nate. My name is Nate," I repeated. Thunder sighed, moving to give his chest an embarrassed lick.

"Sorry about that. There have been so many bad pokemon showing up lately, I just wanted to make sure you weren't fooling me," he admitted. "I'm glad you're okay though, even though you-" He started, but was cut off by a Zubat crashing into his side, causing a rock to fly from his bag.

"Hey!" I yelled but was ignored by the duo.

"Well, I do beg your pardon," the Koffing sneered. I moved closer to Thunder, trying to help him up.

"Why did you do that!" He replied. The Zubat cackled, keeping a tight grip on the item.

"Heh-heh-heh! Don't you get it?" He flapped his wings in excitement, while his partner laughed in response.

"We want this treasure you have, you see? Might be worth lots of money." The Koffing towered over us, a grin widely spread through his face. I went to talk but was silenced by the Zubat.

"This is your buddy's isn't it?" he turned to Thunder, holding out the item. "Can't stand up to us, can you?" Neither of us moved.

"Not gonna make a move to get it back I see? We'll take that then." The duo moved towards the cave, laughing the entire way.

"Wait, that's my-"

"You must be new around here, Zorua. Come join us in the cave if you want, leave that wimp to cry. I'm sure you can do much better," Zubat said. With that, the duo entered the cave, leaving us on the beach. _W-what just happened?_

I turned to Thunder, who had tears streaming down his face. "That... That was my personal treasure! I-It meant everything to me!" He sunk into the sand, burying his face into his paws. "If I lose that..."

The irritation I felt earlier for him was gone, replaced by sympathy. _I bet they were just attacking him for no reason._ I turned to the cave, then back to the wailing cat. _He said it was his personal treasure..._ _I... I can't let those guys get away with this!_

"Let's go," I said. I stumbled over to him, nudging him up with my nose. "Let's go after them, it was your treasure, wasn't it?"

"Y-you'll help me get it back?" He looked at me in shock. I wanted to know what happened to me, but this was more important.

"Of course, you were willing to help me on the beach, even though I could have been deceiving you." _Besides, he seems like a nice guy._

"Thank you! You don't understand how much this means to me!" He ran in a little circle before pointing into the cave. "They went into Beach Cave, hurry!"

* * *

**Beach Cave B1F**

I shouldn't have been surprised by how cold and wet it was, I mean, it was called Beach Cave. It was really big though, and empty. We ran into a dead end a few times, but I'm pretty sure we were going in circles. "So... How do we find them?" I asked. Thunder paused, then slowly started to answer.

"Sorry, I forgot you lost your memory. We're in what we call a Mystery Dungeon. In order to find our way out, we have to find a set of stairs." _That's odd, why would a staircase be in a place like this?_ "But it's not just a labyrinth we have to navigate, there are tons of feral pokemon in each one!"

"Feral pokemon?" _He said something about this before, but I don't really understand what he meant._

"They are pokemon who were driven to insanity. The natural disasters many years ago caused this, but we're still suffering from it. Any pokemon can become feral though. Too much stress causes it." He paused, looking behind a corner then turning back to me. "There's no talking sense to them, the only way to escape it to knock them out," he explained.

"That sound's awful." 

"It's not all bad though, there's plenty of rare items and money to find in them. There's even a Guild that-" He paused.

"What's wrong?" I head a rock fall, but we're in a cave that's supposed to happen. "Thunder..."

"T-there's a Shellos!" He backed up behind me, leaving me to look at the pink slug in the distance. It was far away, so what was the problem? "Don't you see? It's blocking the stairs!" _Oh..._ While it was sitting next to the stairs, it was only one shellos. Plus there were two of us, so it shouldn't be a big deal.

"We can take it!" I walked forwards, turning back to the cowering lynx. "Aren't you an electric type?" I asked. He nodded but sighed in defeat.

"I...don't actually know any electric type attacks yet," he admitted. He looked ready to cry again.

"Just use your wits then, that's what you told me to do. We have claws, you said we can use scratch. If we both attack it, then we shouldn't have a problem," I said. It might not be as easy as I was making it out to be, but Thunder needed some sort of confidence.

"If you're sure..."

The shellos was staring in the other direction, it had a few berries on the ground. _Perhaps it's protecting its food?_ Even if it was, it wouldn't matter. We needed to go down those stairs! I walked on one side, while Thunder went to the other. Just as I was about to attack, it turned, spraying me with a powerful stream of water.

"Nate!" Thunder screamed.

I was knocked backward, completely out of breath. I wasn't expecting it to be so powerful! I stumbled to my feet, just barely missing the tackle from the shellos. I took a step back, letting the oncoming pokemon shoot next to me. _Why is it so fast?_

I crouched down, preparing to leap at the slug, when another shellos, a blue one, attacked me. I landed on the ground with a thud, landing next to a terrified Thunder.

"Woah!" I looked back to Thunder, who stood by the stairs panting.

"L-let's just run! They won't follow us down the stairs!"

I didn't want to just run from it, but Thunder had a point. I had a funny suspicion that he would be fighting later on, so it would be better if we didn't get hurt.

* * *

**Beach Cave B5F**

"Hey, it's them!" I exclaimed. The duo turned to us in surprise; however, it swiftly went away.

"Well well, if it isn't our old friend, the big chicken," Koffing sneered.

Thunder flinched but shook it off. "I... I want my treasure back! It's my personal treasure, it means everything to me!" 

"Treasure you say? Then we definitely won't be giving it back," Zubat laughed. "I suppose we'll sell it, don't you think so Koffing?" The other pokemon laughed and nodded.

"Whaaaaaat?" Thunder gasped. "P-please don't sell it!" The Zubat threw the rock to the side and flew closer to us.

"Perhaps if you want it so bad. Heh-heh-heh, come and get it!" _Like a...fight?_ I wasn't exactly prepared to fight, I mean we did fight a Shellder earlier, but I can really only scratch, tackle, and bite. It didn't look like we had a choice either.

The Zubat attacked first, by flying into the air then rushing at us with immense speed. We both dodged, but we hardly made it. The next thing I knew, there was a thick cloud of black smoke surrounding us.

"It's burning my eyes!" I coughed. I forced my eyes open to see the duo, but it was becoming more and more difficult.

"Koffing used smokescreen, we won't be able to see through it while we're in here!" Thunder yelled.

"Then you'll be easy targets!" A large body crashed into me, hurling me into the rocky wall. I looked up, seeing the fierce grin from Koffing. Shakily I stood up, ready to attack the Koffing.

"Just admit it, you're no match for us!" While he prepared for another smokescreen, I charged at him with a tackle. Although, it didn't do too much damage to him. "Is that all you got?" _I just have to keep him distracted while Thunder deals with Zubat!_

"I could say the same to you," I spat. As he laughed, more smoke thick, black, smoke seeped out of his craters.

"You don't act like any pokemon I've ever met. A _real_ pokemon would have attacked me already!" he sneered. _How could he know He wasn't around during when I told Thunder._ I shook my head and growled. _He's playing me!_

I was going to charge at him again, but something stopped me. A strange energy was flowing through my body, it almost felt like I was never damaged to begin with. "Err... What are you doing?" I didn't exactly know what I was doing, but something was telling me to send all that energy towards Koffing. _What's going on?_ The longer I waited, the more energy flowed throughout my body. "Is that... Extrasensory!" I released the pent-up energy, sending Koffing hurling onto the other side of the cave. He floated up for a moment and glared at me before finally collapsing onto the ground.

"We did it!" Thunder rushed to my side, his cuts leaking a small amount of blood. "I-I can't believe we did it! I didn't know you knew Extrasensory!" he cheered. _Is that was that strange energy was?_ I turned towards the thieves, who lied in pain on the sandy floor. _It must have been some sort of move._

"Ugh... We got roughed up," Zubat groaned. The duo rose to their feet, or well, floated anyways. Cuts and bruises covered their bodies, and they seemed to have a hard time standing. Zubat glared at us and with a fling of his wing, he hurled the nearby treasure at Thunder. "Take it then," he hissed.

"But don't act so special, if that Zorua didn't hide that move, we'd have won on a heartbeat," Koffing said.

"Yeah, you just remember that!" Zubat added. "This isn't the last you've heard of us!" Seemingly in the speed of light, the duo fled past us disappearing from our site.

"My Relic Fragment!" He checked the rock over, then sighed in relief and placed it in his bag. "I'm so glad, thank you, Nate!"

"There's no need to thank me," I replied, uncomfortable that my tail was wagging. "It wasn't a big deal." He returned the smile and walked towards the exit.

"We better head back, it's getting late. I don't want to get stuck in here at night, especially with the feral pokemon."

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

"Really Nate, thank you." I rolled my eyes at Thunder.

"I already said it's fine." He chuckled sheepishly, then turned towards the sunset.

"I know, but I'm just so happy!"

I smiled, but I couldn't help but think about earlier. _I only helped because I happened to be here._ I glanced at Thunder, who stared intently at the ocean. _Was it the right thing to do?_ I couldn't help but think of how happy he was when we got it back. _That was nice, but he wouldn't have gone if I wasn't there._

"Hey, Thunder? Why is that Relic Fragment so important to you?" He gave me a confused look before pulling out the rock.

"I always liked mythology and adventure, even as a cub," he sighed. "Everyone in my clan made fun of me because of it, so one day I left. ...I wanted to go back after a few hours if I'm being honest, but I felt a strange pull towards a rock." He placed it carefully back into the bag, probably to protect it from the waves. "It had all these weird patterns on it, so right away I knew it was something special! Then when I arrived in Treasure Town, I heard about a place called Wigglytuff's Guild." He paused, a dejected look on his face.

"I tried to join their guild to figure out the secret, but I...chickened out. I think that's why Zubat and Koffing knew about it," he admitted. "A-anyway Nate, what do you plan on doing after this? You lost your memory and somehow transformed into a pokemon. Where are you going to stay?"

I froze, I didn't think about that part. I didn't have anywhere to go and the only pokemon I know was Thunder. Either way, I was kinda screwed.

"If not," he mumbled. "Would... Would you be willing to form an exploration team with me? I-I think we would make a pretty good pair, I mean, with how we dealt with Zubat and Koffing earlier. I just thought..."

I stood in shock, unsure of how to answer. _I mean, I don't have anywhere to go. But I'm getting recruited out of the blue!_ I looked back, noticing his pleading eyes. _I guess it wouldn't hurt to team up with Thunder, at least for now._ With a sigh, I nodded.

"Well, I don't have anything else to do, so why not?"

"You'll... You'll really form a team with me?" I nodded once again. "Yes! Thank you! I promise we'll be a great team!" He turned, pointing his nose towards a path leading north. "We'll sign up as apprentices, that's where we'll make our own team!" He was ecstatic, already bounding towards the path.

"Alright, Let's do it!"


	2. New recruits!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate and Thunder join the guild.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I know that a few people from Fanfiction read the first chapter, which is why I'm even writing this note, this is where the changes get drastic.  
> Due to a large handful of people's suggestions, I am removing the whole Toxic subplot, so sorry to the few Toxic fans. I am re-writing this story, so far, to make it better, and yes, I will update this on Fanfiction once all eleven chapters are uploaded. I still will have her be a character though, just not one of the main three.

I looked up at the Wigglytuff shaped tent, it was rather intimidating if I'm being honest. He said some of the most famous teams trained there like Team A.C.T, Team Dagger, and Team Charm; although, I don't know either of them. Thunder said something about standing on a grate in order to get in, and that there were terrifying voices hidden deep underground.

"I'll go first." He said it with confidence, but I could see the fear in his eyes.

"I'm right behind you Thunder, don't forget I'm next," I joked. With a sigh, he stepped onto the grate.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!" a high pitched voice squealed.

"WHO'S FOOTPRINT!" a louder one demanded.

"The footprint is Shinx's. It belongs to Shinx!" It went silent for a moment, leaving Thunder trembling with fear.

"...You may ENTER!" the loud voice boomed. "Someone else is with YOU! SEND THEM UP NOW!" I flinched at the harsh tone.

"Me?" I wasn't too confident either, but Thunder was able to do it so I should too. And were those voices really coming from below the grate?

"Hey, you!" The voice demanded, snapping me out of my trance. "Get on the grate NOW!"

"Y-you should hurry up, Nate," Thunder added. I looked away embarrassed, then hesitantly stepped onto the grate. _Here goes..._

It was a weird feeling at first, being on the grate. My paws almost fit through the holes, making me wonder what would happen in I had fallen down. _What's down there?_ I peered into the hole, only to see nothing but a pitch black void.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

"WHO'S FOOTPRINT!" _I really don't like this security system..._

"The footprint is... The footprint... Um..." the other voice trailed off.

"Sentry, what's the matter? Identify the footprint NOW!" The loud voice demanded, seeming pretty mad this time.

"The footprint is... Possibly Zorua's? Maybe Zorua's!"

"What do you mean MAYBE!" he screamed.

Thunder and I exchanged glances, wondering just what the delay was. _Is there something wrong with my footprint?_

"It's just that... Zorua usually travel in packs with Zoroark! And well... They don't come here often," the other voice admitted.

"Ugh! That's pretty crumby, isn't it? Tell me, sentry, your job is to read the footprints, right?" I couldn't hear the other answer. "Right, so now look up there and tell me who's footprint it is!" It went silent for a moment before the squeaky voice spoke up.

"I don't know what I don't know Exploud," he replied. Thunder blinked, fully able to hear them from where he was.

"Are they... Are they arguing?" I leaned down trying to hear, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

"It sounds like it to me," I muttered.

"Sorry for the WAIT," he said after a while. "While it's TRUE that Zoura aren't COMMON around here... You don't seem to be bad. That sounds fine to ME! YOU MAY ENTER!" As soon as he was done saying this, the bars to the tent suddenly slid up, finally allowing us access.

"Wow! I'm so nervous!" Thunder exclaimed. He let out a long breath to calm himself down. "I'm glad we're going in though."

The inside was decently sized, but there were footprints and claw marks everywhere. Grass and moss grew all over the walls and sandy floor. There was a huge arrow, bigger than both me and Thunder combined, that pointed to a ladder. "W-whoa! There's a hatch that leads underground here!" he exclaimed. He stared down the hole uncertainly. "D-do we really have to go down there?" I rolled my eyes, slightly annoyed at his cowardly act.

"I'll go first if you want." It was hard climbing down when you don't have hands, and I was a little scared to dig my claws in, for the ladder looked so fragile. When we finally did get down, we were astonished by all the commotion.

Pokemon of all kinds were in the large room, either talking to each other or mulling over what to take off the bulletin board. A Sunflora and Bidoof were doing this, but the Bidoof looked frightened the entire time. Another bulletin board was on the far left, where a Salandit ripped off a paper. There was another ladder next to the one we came down that seemed to go deeper, but I wasn't too concerned with it. It was rather loud in there too, due to all the chitchat.

"So this is Wigglytuff's Guild," he whispered. He walked forwards, captured in awe by the room. "I never thought I would be able to see it!"

"Do you know any of the teams here?" I asked. Thunder shrugged, flicking his tail in acknowledgment.

"Well, I only know a few, but that's because I haven't lived in Treasure Town long." He turned, pointing to a Swellow and Wurmple, who looked slightly uncomfortable at being around the predator. "They're Team Tasty, and that team over there-" he paused, pointing towards the Slowpoke and Slakoth. "That's Team Slacker! There's a few more I know, but they don't seem to be here at the moment." I nodded, glancing at the Salandit.

"And Who's Team is she in?" I asked. He looked at her in confusion, then shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, but there's a lot of teams I don't know yet."

"Excuse me!" Our conversation was cut short by an annoyed voice. We looked behind us, noticing a colorful bird hop towards us, unable to use his wings indoors. "Was it you two that just entered?"

"Y-Yes!" Thunder answered.

The small bird smiled, extending his wing our and placing it in front of his chest, he leaned down probably trying to make a polite bow. I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should bow too. _But I really don't know how a pokemon like me should bow..._

"I am Guildmaster Wigglytuff's personal right-hand pokemon!" That being said, he began to make shoo motions with his wings. "Now shoo! Leave this premise! The Guild has no time for salespeople or silly surveys! Now shoo, off you go!" he squawked.

"H-hey! That's not why we're here!" I yelled, slightly offended with the Chatot.

"Yeah, that's right!" the electric type added. "We're here to start an exploration team!" Chatot's jaw dropped while the rest of his body froze.

"Wh-what?! Exploration team?" He turned, facing away from us. "It's rare to see kids this young want to form a team, especially with how hard our training is... Surely the steady stream of pokemon fleeing our rigorous training proves how tough it is!"

"Excuse me," I sighed, noticing Thunder's shocked look. The bird glanced over his shoulder, an annoyed look on his face. "Is the training here really that severe?" Chatot flinched, not realizing that we heard everything he said.

"What? well, n-no! No, no, no, no! It's simply not true! Our exploration training is easy! In fact, any pokemon could pass them!" He thrashed his wings in an attempt to emphasize his statement, but it just wasn't helping with what he had said earlier. _That's...not what you said._

Shifting to a much more cheerful mood, his musical note, and his tail wagged happily. "Well, well, well, I wish you said this up front!" I turned to Thunder, who looked just as shocked as I did.

"His mood certainly changed fast," he said. I nodded. _Seriously, I hope he isn't always like this._

"Well, we'll get your team signed up quickly! Now come on, follow me!" he stated, heading back towards the ladder. He looked back at us, noticing we hadn't moved. "Oh, anything wrong? Come on! Over here!" I sighed, unsure if we made the right choice.

"Well, we better get moving. It's too late to turn back now," I said.

...

The Salandit on the other side of the room stared down the ladder that Chatot took new recruits. She debated whether or not to go down and follow them.

"What are you doing?" Bidoof asked. She glanced at him and shrugged. The Sunflora spoke up next, fully aware of what was going through her mind.

"Just go ask them, they seem relatively new," she added.

"The Shinx seems weak," the Salandit hissed. She stood back on her hind legs, still debating whether or not to go.

"Well, we haven't had any new members in a long time, and _you_ are the only one that stayed."

"Didn't Chatot say one pokemon couldn't form a team? I'm pretty sure he did, yup yup!" Bidoof added, earning a harsh glare from Salandit.

"I didn't ask for _your_ opinion Bidoof," she growled. She rolled her eyes and scurried down the ladder, but it was really to evade their questions.

_I do want to form a team._ The Salandit thought to herself. The salandit paused mid-decent in the ladder, contemplating the decision.

"No, they're too weak." She nodded to herself then continued on her way. "I will not waste my time on them."

* * *

"Wait here. I must announce your arrival to the Guildmaster." With that, Chatot entered the door.

"Oh... Oh, Nate! I'm just so excited!" Thunder exclaimed, his tail thrashing happily. "I've been waiting for this moment for months!"

"Months!" _He said he wasn't here for long! Just what is his perception of time?_ "Yeah... I have to admit, I'm excited too." But it was more nervousness than anything. From what he told me about Wigglytuff, we might just be in for a hard time.

"Wow, come and see this Nate!" Thunder said. He looking out a window with a fantastic view. "We're two levels underground and we can still see outside!" _It is pretty cool._

We could see a large grove just outside the window, along with a few mountains in the far distance.

"Well, it does look like we're on the edge of a cliff." I looked down, not seeing a mountainside beneath us. _We must be on an angle._

"Oh," Thunder mumbled, his ears drooping. "I guess that's true, but it's still a nice view!" I shrugged, stepping away from the window.

"Why isn't there any glass?" I asked.

"What?" Thunder flicked his tail, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "Nate, what are you talking about?" _D-do they not have glass here?_

"Alright! The Guildmaster is ready, come over here!" Chatot yelled. I glanced at the bird, then looked back at the window. _That's so strange._

"Alright, are you ready Nate?" _Huh?_ Thunder was a few steps ahead of me, but I noticed that he was trembling. _Am_ I _ready?_

"Yeah," I replied, choosing not to mention my thoughts.

"Hurry up you two! I don't want to keep the Guildmaster waiting!" The two of us walked over to the angry bird, who had feathers flying everywhere due to his excessive flapping.

"Sorry, we're ready now."

"Well, then... On no account, I repeat no account should you be discourteous to our Guildmaster!" With that, he opened the door revealing the Guildmaster. "Guildmaster, it's me Chatot! I present to you the new recruits...and Toxic!" The Wigglytuff didn't turn around, in fact, he didn't seem at all phased by our appearance. "Guildmaster? ...Guildmaster?"

"Hiya!" Within a moment, the Guildmaster spun around. "I'm Wiggytuff! I'm this guild's master!" he shouted. He spun around again, this time, he did a little dance. "You want to form an exploration team?" he asked. Neither of us answered, still too shocked. _This is the Guildmaster? I mean, I guess he seems nice..._

"Y-yes!" Thunder finally answered. The Guildmaster's grin widened.

"Then we'll get you started right away! First, you'll need a team name!" Thunder and I exchanged surprised glances. It should have been obvious to us, but we never thought about out the team name.

"Um..." _Why didn't we think of a name before?_

"Err... How about you decide, Nate?" Thunder suggested.

"Me?" I had no clue what to name an exploration team! "Well, um... How about Team..." _What would sound cool?_ I closed my eyes, trying to think of the team names from before. _Team Slacker, Team Tasty, Team Dagger, Team A.C.T...what does that mean?_

"Hurry it up!" I flinched at Chatot's high pitched squeak.

"How about..." _Those sound boring. Hmm... Maybe... I-I got it!_ "How about Team Abyss?"

"Team Abyss it is!" Wigglytuff exclaimed.

The Guildmaster grabbed a clipboard and pencil and began scribbling. "And...there! Completely registered!" He spun around again, this time opening his mouth with a light coming out of it. "YOOM...TAH!"

A shockwave blew from his mouth, completely knocking us off our feet. "Congratulations! From now on, you are an exploration team! I present you with this in commemoration!" He practically threw a bag at us, containing three badges, and a map.

"Here, I have more items for you two!" Chatot came forwards holding two bows. "This is a Pecha scarf," he said, holding up the purple-pink scarf. "And this," he held up a green bow. "Is called a green bow; they will help you on your journey."

"T-thank you!" Thunder said, tears threatening to fall. "I can't believe we're a full team!"

"Just remember," Wigglytuff chimed in. "You're just apprentices, remember to train hard! One day you'll be a full-fledged exploration team!"

"Let's remember to do our best Nate!" I nodded. _Right, this is it!_

* * *

"Right," Toxic started. Chatot told her to show us to our room, which we would be sharing, for the moment, with Toxic. She was the salandit we saw earlier, apparently, she works part-time for the guild and doesn't actually have an exploration team. Chatot said she would be moved into Treasure town soon though since she's not really a member. 

I thought that was strange though, Chatot seemed to annoyed by our presence earlier, before we became members, so why would he be fine with Toxic? _It's not really my problem though, I should just stay out of it._

"Apprentices sleep here, in these quarters." She pointed down the hall, and to each of the rooms. "Each rank you get, you get better rooms and privileges, but only full-fledged teams get to live deep underground." She lead us to the end of the hall into a small room with three nests.

The room itself was small, three nests were inside in a triangle pattern. Roots and vines covered the ceiling and walls, while the floor was covered in loose dirt. A circular window was in the center if the wall, getting the same view as the one outside the Guildmaster's office. "My nest is the one in the back, so you can decide which nest you want or whatever."

"Err... Sorry for asking, but Chatot said there would be dinner here. We haven't eaten anything today," Thunder meowed. Toxic sat up in her nest, strands of hay rolling down her back.

"You've already missed it. You came rather late in the day, you see. We're served exactly when the sun touched the earth after everyone's finished with missions," she explained. _Dang..._ "Perhaps I can see if Chimecho will spare some leftovers." With that, Toxic scurried out of the room.

"I can't believe I finally joined the guild. This is... This is like a dream come true! Don't you think so, Nate?" I walked towards the middle nest with a sigh.

"Sorry Thunder, it's just... Today's been so eventful! I still don't even know what happened to me, who I am, or why I'm a Zorua!" I collapsed onto the nest, not at all liking the how the hay pokes into my fur. "A lot's just happened...you know?" Thunder nodded, curling up in his next.

"Yeah, I understand." He closed his eyes, with a warm smile on his face. "You know, I'm finally glad I made myself come here. We're going to experience all sorts of things starting tomorrow. It scares me a little, but with you, I'll be able to overcome my cowardness."

_That wasn't what I meant, but I do understand your feelings. It's pretty exciting to be on an exploration team! It's fun to be friends with Thunder, I just hope he can gain some confidence._ I rolled over, finally deciding to rest my head on my paws. _But why am I here? How did I become a Zorua?_

"Who am I?" I whispered.

I desperately wanted to know this. _What if I used to be bad before? What_ _if I did something to deserve becoming a Zorua?_ I shook my head. _I can't be thinking about this right now! I should just focus on training here with Thunder then it should... smooth..._ Before I knew it, sleep finally overcame me.

* * *

*strike*

It was pitch black all around me. Freezing rain pelted my fur while lightning struck dangerously close.

"Don't let go!" a petrified voice screamed.

I looked around, but I couldn't see anyone. _Thunder?_ "Hold on! Just... Just a little longer!" I looked around for the voice, but I couldn't see anything.

*strike*

"I-I can't!" a different voice shrieked, sending a chill down my spine. "I'm slipping!" I could hardly hear their screams over the howling wind.

"Where are you?!" I yelled in a desperate attempt to help. I frantically looked around, not even the lightning could clear it up. "Tell me where you are! I'll help you!"

*strike*

"Waaaaaaaah!" A final scream of terror echoed throughout the area, then...silence.

* * *

With a gasp, I leaped from my nest, looking around the room in terror.

"Nate?" I looked at Thunder, who slept soundly in his nest. "What's going on?" I turned to the Salandit, who stared at me intently. _Calm down... It was only a dream._

"It... Sorry, it was a nightmare," I rasped. I collapsed back onto my nest, with a sigh.

"Hmm? See to it that you get some sleep," she said without her usual hiss. "We have to be up bright and early." I nodded, just finally being able to calm down.

_It felt so... It felt so real._ I couldn't keep my mind off it. _They sounded terrified, and what happened to that other person? Did he die, or was he just scared?_ I buried my face into my paws, praying that I could forget about it.

Perhaps this was a sign telling me that I _did_ do something wrong, or warning me something bad was going to happen. It felt too real to be just some nightmare. Anyways, whatever it meant, I would have to be careful from here on out.


	3. The First Mission!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toxic shows Nate and Thunder the basics of the guild, and she takes them on their first mission.

"HEY! WAKE UP IT'S MORNING!"

I awoke from my slumber with a pounding headache. I kept my eyes tightly shut as I writhed in my nest. _What a ridiculously loud voice! It almost blasted my eardrums!_ "Why are you still ASLEEP! You two better get up NOW!"

"M-my poor ears," Thunder whined. We shakily stood to our feet, our heads still throbbing from before.

"C'mon snap out if it! I'm EXPLOUD! I keep everyone up and ALERT!" I glared at the bulky purple figure. "I used to be an apprentice here! Master Wigglytuff has a BIG temper! If you make him lose it..." He crossed his arms an shivered. "I get goosebumps just thinking about it. YEESH! JUST HURRY IT UP! I'm not about to get in trouble because of you rookies!" Without another word, Exploud stomped out of our room.

"Err... Did he really have to shout like that?" I muttered. I was already tired from my nightmare earlier and this throbbing headache wasn't making me feel any better. He was yelling so loud I couldn't hear what he was saying. _It was something about getting ready..._ "W-wait! We totally overslept!" I shouted, suddenly remembering signing up for the guild.

"O-oh! We're supposed to be out there right now!" Thunder exclaimed, leading to his feet in a panic. He bolted down the hall with me close behind. _I hope we don't get in a lot of trouble for this!_

We entered the room where we met the Guildmaster, only to see a group of pokemon staring angrily at us. There was a Noibat flying in front of a Dratini, a Ducklett standing in front of a Corphish, a Bidoof standing in front of a Sunflora, a Pikachu standing in front of a Riolu, and finally Toxic, who stood next to the Riolu, refusing to look at us. Exploud, a Dugtrio, and a Diglett stood in the back corner, along with a Chimeco, Audino, and Croagunk.

"YOU'RE LATE ROOKIES!" Exploud screamed.

"Hush! Your voice is extremely loud!" Chatot scolded. With an annoyed shake of his head, Chatot glanced around the room. "Well, it seems like everyone's present. Very well! Let's conduct our morning address." He turned his head to the chamber door. "Guildmaster, the guild is in full attendance!" Immediately, the Guildmaster emerged from his room. "Thank you Guildmaster! Now please address the crew."

"Zzzz... Zzzz... Snorfle... Zzzz..." Everyone in the room was stunned, including me and Thunder.

"Is he... Is he sleeping?" I asked. _His eyes are open. How did he manage to even walk out here?_

"The Guildmaster never ceases to amaze me," another apprentice giggled. The Noibat nodded along.

"Yeah, you got that right."

"Eek! His eyes are wide open!" Sunflora squealed. "But he's fast asleep!"

I leaned into Thunder's side. "Is this really the great Wigglytuff you told me about?" I whispered. He shrugged, his fur twitching with embarrassment.

Chatot flinched, forcing a smile. "Err... Yes, thank you for your words of wisdom Guildmaster! I'm sure we all value it!" He returned his attention to us. "Okay pokemon! Let's not forget our morning cheers! All together now!"

"A ONE, A TWO...A ONE-TWO-THREE!" Everyone chanted, except for me and Thunder. "ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK! TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY!" _Runaway and pay?_ "THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Okay Pokemon," Chatot ordered. "Get to work!"

"HOORAY!" Everyone chanted. Then within moments, everyone except for me, Thunder, Toxic, and Chatot left. Dugtrio and Diglett burrowed into the ground and out of sight. Chimeco flew into the kitchen, probably to prepare for later meals. Croagunk hopped into his...strange little stand, and Audino gave a bow to Chatot before returning to her room.

"...What now?" I asked. The pokemon here were so odd, that I didn't really know what to do next.

"You two, hmm...and Toxic, come on over here," Chatot ordered. Thunder and I exchanged glances and approached Chatot. "Toxic, since you are now leaving the guild, I want you to show these two how the guild works and acompany them on their first mission." Toxic nodded, then sent Thunder and I a harsh glare.

"Yow two...follow me," Toxic ordered. Thunder and I exchanged looks before following the Salandit up the ladder.

"This is the Job Bulletin Board, you see? Pokemon from various regions post job requests here. They can either be rescue missions, item retrieval requests, item delivery missions, escort missions, or save my child missions. Over there-" she pointed to the other bulletin board. "Is the Outlaw Bulletin Board. Those pokemon are not feral and choose to be evil, you see?" I nodded, getting slightly annoyed with her saying you see. "You get a reward at the ends of each mission; however, Chatot takes half on the money you earned for the guild."

"I think I understand now," I replied. She nodded, ripping a job off the board.

"I've been to multiple Mystery Dungeons before, but since you're new, I've picked out an easy one."

"Oh really? Let's read it!" Thunder exclaimed, leaning forward to see the message.

_Hello! My name's Spoink! An outlaw has run off with my most prized possession! My precious pearl! That pearl...is life itself. Well...at least to me it is. I just can't seem to settle down if that pearl isn't in its rightful spot on my head! But I heard that my pearl has been sighted on a Rocky Bluff, but this bluff is said to be extremely dangerous. I could never go somewhere so frightening! Oh, friendly readers, would you be so kind as to retrieve my pearl from this bluff? I beg for your help, exploration team members!_

_-sincerely Spoink._

"Wait a second..." Thunder started his fur twitching with anger. "We're going to fetch an item that someone dropped?" I turned to Thunder, tilting my head in confusion.

"Isn't that what I did for you?" I asked. He looked away, blushing with embarrassment.

"Yeah... But I'de rather do something that's more of along the lines of an adventure," he admitted. "I'd rather look for treasure or explore unknown places. Things like that!"

"I agree...but you shouldn't let Chatot hear you say things like that," Toxic added. She rolled up the message, placing it in the bag I was carrying. "Everyone says that Wigglytuff has a bad temper, but Chatot will chew you out til' the end of time." She shook her head, snickering to herself quietly. "We should head out now, Spoink won't want to wait forever.

* * *

**Drenched Bluff B1F**

"Where did Spoink say the pearl was sighted," I asked.

"The seventh floor," Thunder replied. _I wonder if it will be like Beach Cave?_ "It's a little longer than Beach Cave, but it shouldn't be too bad."

"Hey, Toxic?" I asked. She scurried over, a little too close for my liking. "You've been here before, right? Do you know where the stairs are?" She paused, letting a long sigh.

"I wish it were that simple. Mystery Dungeons are always random, I've been here many times, but each time was different." She rose to her hind legs, stopping to scratch her snout before replying. "Mystery Dungeons are just...like that."

"Yeah," Thunder meowed. "My clan traveled through tons of them before I left. Especially Mt. Thunder, the floors would always be different there."

We walked in silence after that, the only sound being the constant dripping of water. I assumed that we spent most of our day traveling through the first few floors, although, we did get a bunch of items. A couple of Oran berries, one Pecha berry, an apple, and a blue gummi, which Thunder said raises your IQ if you eat the right kind.

I still didn't really understand Mystery Dungeons, though. So these weird parts of untamed land became Mystery Dungeons? _Were these once buildings?_ That's what I thought anyway, why else would there be staircases in the middle of some maze? _Thunder seems to know a lot about them too, maybe I can talk to him later?_

"Are you listening, Nate?" I glanced at Thunder, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. "We've reached the stairs."

"O-oh sorry. I was just lost in thought," I chuckled. "It's just so confusing," I said, leading the duo to the next floor.

**Drenched Bluff B4F**

"What's this?" In the dirt lied a small, sturdy looking seed. I picked it up, noticing the heat emitting from it. _Why is it so warm? Wouldn't that kill the seed?_

"That's a Blast Seed," Thunder explained. "When thrown, or eaten, it explodes on contact. It can damage anything, even types of pokemon that aren't weak to fire attacks."

"Will it explode if I put in the bag?" I asked. I was the one carrying the bag, so I really wouldn't want it to just up and explode on me.

"No," Toxic stated. She stood up on her hind legs, taking the Blast Seed from me and tapping it lightly. "It's very durable, you see? It would have to be a strong impact to make it explode." _Oh, I better hold onto it then._

**Drenched Bluff B5F**

"Take _this_!" I yelled, charging at the palpitoad. I pounced, biting down hard on the lump on his head. A thick, warm liquid flowed from the wound, leaving a foul taste in my mouth. I leaped back, kicking the palpitoad in the face before landing a good deal away.

It struggled to its feet, sending me a harsh glare from my attack. I ran forward, managing to tackle him again, only to be sent back by a powerful stream of water.

I couldn't help but get angry at this fight, I didn't know what I was doing or how to battle really. Toxic and Thunder weren't much help either, they said something about being weak against ground types and that I _had_ to fight. _But Toxic doesn't know that I'm a human! ...That I was one at least._ I had to play the role, there was no way I could let her find out! A jolt of pain ran through my body, clouding my train of thought.

I pulled myself from a small mud pile, bits of rock falling from the ceiling poured onto my pelt, but not enough to do actual damage. I felt slower all the sudden like something was dragging me down with actually being there. "W-woah!" I leaped to the side, narrowly dodging a stream of mud hurling at me. I ran forward, trying to bite his head again, only to be thrown back by another stream of mud.

Thick mud dripped from my fur, pooling at my feet as I stood up. _I can't even get close to it..._ What was I supposed to do? I only knew how to bite, tackle, and scratch. I didn't even know how to use that special move, extrasensory was it? Maybe I could distract him- _The Blast seed!_

Immediately, I hurled the seed at the palpitoad. Upon impact, he reeled back in pain, crashing into the wall behind him. _This is it!_ I ran at the palpitoad at full speed, ducking under another stream of mud, and tackled him to the ground. I stood on top of him, scratching his eyes and biting at the large lumps on its head. Thick blood oozed from the wounds as it gave a final screech before going silent.

I leaned back, panting from exhaustion as I looked at my blood covered body, unsure of whos it was. I gazed at the feral pokemon, who lied unmoving from my attack. It had deep claw marks covering its eyes and bite marks of the lump on its head. _Did I... Did I kill it?_ "A-are you alright?" I nudged him with my paw, attempting to see if he would wake up, only for him to stay silent. He had to be dead, right? _I... I'm a murderer!_

"Great job N- Hey, what's with the tears?" Thunder asked. I glanced back, a few tears leaving my eyes before I was able to answer.

"D-Did I kill him?" I wailed. Thunder and Toxic exchanged confused looks before Thunder answered.

"Nate, it's-"

"Of course not!" Toxic snapped. Toxic stood up and sent me a disgusted glare, her purple eyes practically glowed with anger. "What kind of pokemon are you? To not know if a pokemon is dead or knocked out... _It_ will get up in a few hours, stop acting so dramatic!" She shook her head, letting out a long hiss. "It seems like you don't even know how to battle-"

"H-hey! There's no n-need for that!" Thunder growled. He moved between us, in some sort of attempt to defuse the situation. "C-can't you see he's going through something right now?"

"It's fine." _I have to play that role._ I looked back at the palpitoad before pulling an Oran Berry out of our bag. "I... I should have know better." I shook my head, feeling slightly more energized from the berry.

"That right, you should!" Toxic hissed. "If you can't fight, then you'll never survive the guild's training!"

"Can we just get on with the mission?" I asked in an attempt to divert Toxic's attention. _It was one mistake..._

**Drenched Bluff B7F**

We finally reached an open room with a large rock formation in the middle. Small streams of water poured from the rocks surfaces, creating small pools beneath us. _This must be it._ I looked down the moss covered rocks, noticing a small pink sphere wedged between some rocks.

"Hey look!" Thunder reached down, inspecting the object before gently lifting it from the rocks. "No wonder Spoink was so worried about it. It's so pretty after all." I nodded. _It must be worth a lot._

"Let's hurry back," Toxic hissed. She narrowed her eyes at me, then turned back with a hiss. "We wouldn't want to keep Spoink busy."

* * *

"Th-thank you!" The female spoink hopped up and down ecstatically, the pearl bouncing along with her. _No wonder she dropped it..._ "I just can't function without my pearl! I was just bouncing and springing about...now I'm covered with bumps and bruises!" she laughed. "But now that nightmare's over, you have my sincere thanks!"

She hopped in front of me, handing me a Protein, then handed Toxic a large yellow berry, and finally handed Thunder a bag of what seemed to be coins.

"...Thanks," I replied, still unsure of what a Protein was.

"W-wow! Two-thousand Poke! For us?" Thunder exclaimed. She nodded, a slight blush forming on her cheeks.

"Yes, yes! Nothing compares in value to my precious pearl!" With a wave, the spoink headed back to the ladder. "Thanks again exploration team members!"

"I-I can't believe it, Nate! We're rich! Just like that! I can't wait to spend this on items for the team!"

"Well done, team!" Chatot congratulated. He put his wings together in some sort of capping motion. "Very well done for your first mission. Now, hand over that money if you would." _Huh?_ He extended his wing, practically ripping the bag out of Thunder's grip.

"As I'm sure Toxic told you, most Poke you earn goes to the guild. It's not cheap running this place, you now!" He nodded to himself before handing the bad to Thunder. "This is your team's share."

"We only get to keep Two-hundred Poke..." he whined, his ear drooping with disappointment. "That's not fair."

Chatot narrowed his eyes at Thunder. "Well, that's simply a rule you must accept." We nodded, daring not to argue any further. "Now then, you should head down to the dining hall for dinner."

"...Yes, sir."

* * *

The dining hall was full of more types of pokemon that I had ever seen. I assumed that every exploration team, including the apprentices, were attending dinner. I turned to Toxic, to ask where we could sit, but she was gone. _Did she leave the guild already? They didn't let her stay for dinner?_

A wave of uncertainty flowed throughout my skin, was the guild really so difficult? Most of the pokemon seemed alright, a little goofy, but alright. In fact, the only pokemon I really had a problem with was Chatot, and even he wasn't terrible. _Was this a mistake?_

"Where do we even sit?" I asked, pulling myself from my thoughts. I glanced at Thunder, noticing the fearful look in his eyes.

"I-I don't know." We walked around, nearly getting toppled over by an arrogant arcanine.

"Watch where you're going!" he snapped, barring his teeth. We nodded immediately running away from the fire beast. _Geeze, I could feel the raw power radiating from him._

"Hey, rookies!" The Noibat from morning rollcall flew over to us, an amused glint in his eyes. "I'm Noibat, the leader of Team Leviathan. I see you're a bit lost," he joked.

"Y-yeah," Thunder replied. _I think lost is an understatement._

"The apprentice table is towards the back, follow me." I sighed with relief from his gesture. _At least someone's willing to help us._

"Thank you," I sighed.

"It's no problem; I remember my first dinner here. Although, I can fly, so it was a bit easier for me!"

We sat down next to Noibat and his partner Dratini, who seems like a polite pokemon. The plates in front of us were already filled with all kinds of veggies, berries, and meats. Realizing I hadn't eaten since yesterday, I was ready to dig into the meal.

"Attention, everyone!" Within an instant, the entire dining hall went silent at the sound of the Guildmaster's voice. "Tonight we are joined by new friends!" His brief serious tone was replaced by a gleeful cheer. _New friends? Does he mean us?_ "A new duo of apprentices, Team Abyss, is now training with us!" He danced in a circle before clapping his hands happily.

"Now then," Chatot started. "Let's begin our feast!"

Everyone around me started eating, but I couldn't help but stare at my food. _How do I eat this? I don't have hands..._ I looked over at Thunder, studying how he ate before attempting to copy the movement. _Eating like a pig... But...everyone else seems to be doing it._ Pushing my pride aside, I dug in, nearly blown back by how delicious the food was. _This amazing!_

Maybe I was getting used to being a pokemon after all?

* * *

I groaned, collapsing onto my straw next. Today just winded me.

"My paws feel like they're about to fall off," Thunder whined. I chuckled, curling up like the night before.

"Tell me about it." I sighed, a small smile starting to form.

I guess today wasn't too bad. I felt like I was able to be somebody by helping Spoink out. _Maybe I did make the right decision after all._ I did feel good about being an apprentice, but after that incident with the palpitoad...

"Hey, Nate?" Thunder nudged my shoulder, a serious look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You didn't kill that palpitoad earlier," he meowed. I flinched, turning away from him. _Why did he have to bring that up?_ "I... I saw how much that affected you, and I know Toxic hurt you. I just..." He paused, for a moment, before answering slowly. "It takes a lot to kill a pokemon. Yeah, some pokemon do it easier than others, but it's fairly hard to kill just any pokemon."

"But he looked so...disfigured."

"I'm sure he's awake now. Most feral pokemon have stashes of berries hidden throughout different dungeons. I'm pretty sure he has some Oran Berries hidden somewhere." Even at the thought of him being better, I still felt guilty.

"I... I don't ever want to do that again." I knew I had lost control earlier. Zorua are predators, I could have easily killed him. But I knew Thunder was trying to make me feel better, and he was probably right.

"That's fine too." Thunder curled up in his own nest and let out a long yawn.

_Toxic didn't have to act like that though._ I trembled at the thought of that conniving Salandit. How _dare_ she act like that towards some who she didn't even know! I growled, shaking these thoughts from my head. _...I shouldn't be thinking of this._

"Goodnight Nate," he mumbled. I stared at Thunder for a moment, a strong feeling of gratitude washed over me.

"Thunder?"

"Hmm?" He lifted his head slightly, before lowering it again with a yawn.

"Thank you."


	4. The Scream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While exploring Treasure Town, Nate has a terrifying vision.

"THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" This time, Thunder and I were able to sing along with the rest of the apprentices.

"Remember, let's make sure to always do our best!" Thunder exclaimed. I nodded, finally feeling comfortable with this decision.

"Excuse me?" The duo of Pikachu and Riolu walked towards us, staring at us with friendly smiles. "We haven't officially met yet. I'm Pikachu, The leader of Team Thunderpunch! And this," she started, placing a hand on the riolu's shoulder. "Is my partner Riolu. We wanted to say hi earlier, but there was never really a right time."

"I'm Nate, and this is Thunder, it's nice to meet you," I replied.

"If there's anything you want to know about the guild, just come and ask us. Although, Noibat of Team Leviathan is better at explaining things than we are," the Riolu said. He shifted his bag over his shoulder, causing the items inside to clink around. "That's not the only reason we came to see you though."

"Yeah, Chatot wants to talk to you," Pikachu added. _Really? He hasn't bothered with us since we came here. ...Did we do something wrong?_ "He's on the second floor in front of the outlaw post."

"Thank you," I replied, still wondering why Chatot would want to see us.

"Don't mention it! We'll tell him you're on your way up."

As I watched them leave, I couldn't help but think of how odd that was. None of the other apprentices really tried to talk to us. I mean, we _did_ meet Team Leviathan yesterday, but we had to seek them out. I guess it did feel nice that we were welcome.

"Nate, are you daydreaming again?" Thunder asked. His voice pulled me from my thoughts within an instant, leaving me embarrassed...again. At least this time I wasn't in the middle of a battle.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. Anyway, do you know why Chatot wants us?" I asked. Thunder shrugged, his tail swishing with uncertainty.

"No. Do you think we're in trouble?"

"Probably not." Chatot was the type of person to nitpick, but we've been following the rules ever since we got here. "If anything, he's probably going to remind us of waking up late yesterday. I wouldn't worry about it." Thunder sighed, shifting his gaze to the ground.

"He wouldn't kick us out...would he?" I stared at him in shock.

"For what? We didn't do anything wrong." Thunder didn't reply. "We better not keep him waiting," I said. I trotted to the ladder, looking back to see if he was following. "I'm sure it will be fine Thunder. Chatot seems reasonable...to some extent."

* * *

"Nice work on your mission yesterday. Very well done! Keep up the work and you'll be well on your way on becoming an exploration team!" _Okay, so we're not in trouble. That's good._ "I've realized that you haven't been had a tour of Treasure Town. I would have sent someone out earlier if that storm hadn't destroyed half the town!" His feathers ruffled with irritation, in a way I could almost call cute. "The other teams are just to busy to escort you..."

"We can find our own way," I said, earning a glare from Chatot.

"It seems I should have asked Toxic to stay another night.!" Chatot grumbled. He sighed, shaking his head in disapproval.

"It doesn't matter!" he squawked. "Now then, I want you two to explore Treasure Town." _Wow, he really has major mood swings. I wonder why? W_ " I'm sure you're capable of such a task. When you get back, I'll have Bidoof help you pick a job request."

"That sounds easy enough," I mumbled. Chatot nodded, then turned to the Outlaw Bulletin Board with a sigh.

"I know a little bit about Treasure Town, I can show you around," Thunder said.

* * *

We didn't have to walk far to reach Treasure Town, but when we did get there I was in awe. All around us were various shops and homes, with pokemon of all kinds going to see them. Other shops seemed to be damaged, or just not opened yet. There were pokemon just sitting around as well, with younger pokemon playing gleefully.

"Wow," I whispered. "This place is so lively." Thunder smiled, probably excited to be in his hometown.

"It's pretty neat, huh?" I didn't know so many pokemon could congregate in one place so happily. _This place is unreal!_ "This is the main square of Treasure Town, a lot of the important shops are over here, as well as homes for local pokemon."

"What's that shop?" I walked over to a tent shaped like a duskull. I looked at the sign, but there was only footprints instead of words. _Is that their language? Don't they use unown?_

"That's Duskull's Bank. We can store our Poke there, but I suggest we go there after we go to Kecleon's Market."

Behind that shop was a large tent with iron bars holding it up. Apparently, it was Excadrill's Mine, a place where they build and repair new buildings both above and below ground. South of the square, was a small, pink, shop that didn't seem to be open. to the right of that was a large building labeled Ditto's Dojo. "I remember hearing that it was damaged in the storm," Thunder commented. "It probably won't be open for a few days." We moved west of the square and looked at another unopened shop.

"Electivire's Link Shop?" I asked. I stared at the building, which towered over the rest of the shops, in awe. _It doesn't seem like he's in today. Maybe he's repairing his shop?_

"I don't exactly know what linking is. When Electivire comes back, we'll have to ask him." Thunder turned with a look of surprise on his face. "Oh look! Kecleon's Market is open again!" He ran forward, stopping at an open shop with a tent shaped like a kecleon.

The building was tall and open and had two treasure chests on each side filled with various fake gems and items. There was a flat wooden table top where two kecleons stood, one green and the other purple. "This is where we will buy or sell all of our supplies. There's a whole bunch of useful supplies here, and even some rare ones every once and a while. It will definitely be useful for...outlaws." Even the word outlaw was enough to cause him to tremble.

"Oh look, our favorite customer has returned!" the green kecleon cheered. He then leaned down, nearly falling over in shock at the sight of me. "And he brought a Zoura!" The purple kecleon, which I assumed to be his brother, leaned down getting extremely close to my face.

"It's been too long since we've seen a Zorua!" He leaned back with a laugh, before closing a chest beside him. "How cute. Is your pack nearby?" _Again with this pack. I'll have to talk to Thunder about this later, I need to understand more about Zorua in this world._

"We don't know," Thunder swiftly meowed. I turned to him confused with why he was asking- Oh... _It must be obvious that I'm not a Zoura if I'm not with my pack!_ "I found him on the beach unconscious, but he's alright now." _Good thinking Thunder._

"Y-yeah. I even joined Widdlytuff's guild to find them!" The duo exchanged worried looks before nodding to themselves.

"How sad."

"We hope you're able to find them soon." Almost as if a flip was switched, the brothers turned to Thunder with a smile. "So I hear you formed an exploration team?" The green kecleon asked. _Wow, word must travel fast around here._

"Yeah! Me and Nate formed Team Abyss!"

"Congratulations!"

"You both have our full support!" Both brothers clapped before becoming more serious. "Now, what can we do for you lads?"

"Can we buy four apples and a Rawst berry?" The green kecleon nodded and pulled the items from seemingly nowhere...

"Sure thing! That would be 190 Poke." I opened the pouch, where we kept our poke, and hande him the amount. _That almost took all of our funds._ _We only have 40 Poke left..._ "Is there anything else you need?"

"No thanks," Thunder said, placing the items in the Treasure Bag. "Thanks again for-"

"Misters Kecleons!" We looked over in surprise as two young pokemon bounded to the table. One was a marill and the other was an azurill. I moved to the side allowing for the children to reach the counter, but the seemed to be too short to actually reach it.

"Ah! Little Marill and Azurill! Welcome my young friends!" The green kecleon threw his hands up with enthusiasm.

"May I buy an apple?" The azurill asked, hiding shyly behind his brother.

"Oh of course!" Kecleon handed the biggest apple they had.

"Thank you, Misters Kecleons!" The marill happily cheered.

The duo waited until the children left before turning to up. "You see those lovely children there?" We nodded, even though we were here the entire time.

"Their poor mother has fallen deathly ill recently, so the youngsters are out doing all of the shopping."

"It's quite remarkable though," the green kecleon added. "They're very young, but they seemed to step up for the occasion!"

"That really is," I said. _I hope their mother is able to make a full recovery though. Those children seemed to be nice, I would hate if their mother died._

"Misters Kecleons!" The brothers bolted to the counter, tears nearly dripped down their faces.

"Oh? What's the hurry? What makes you return in such a rush?"

"T-there was an extra apple!" Azurill wailed. His brother pulled the apple out, lifting it up for him to see.

"We... We didn't pay for this many," he added Though he wasn't wailing, he seemed to be deeply regretful. "We're really sorry for stealing!"

"Stealing?" The purple kecleon asked turning to his brother.

"Oh that... Yes, that young friends was a special gift from me and my brother!"

"Really?" Marril asked, overjoyed.

"Yay! Thank you Misters Kecleons!" Azurill exclaimed, hopping up and down ecstatically.

"Do not worry about it, my young friends! Do take care on your way home!"

I watched them skip away happy, but while Azurill was skipping alongside his brother, he tripped, dropping one of the apples. The apple rolled right in front of me, so I picked it up, handing it to the shy azurill.

"Here you go." The young pokemon stuffed it into his pocket then blushed with embarrassment when he looked back at me.

"T-thank you. I'm sorry to bother you," he mumbled. I leaned back with a smile.

"Don't worry about it, no harm was done! Just make sure to watch where you're going," I laughed. The water-type nodded with a mile thanking me once again. However, once I gave him the apple a wave of dizziness washed over me. _Huh? Why am I dizzy all of the sudden?_

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the dizzy feeling. _It feels like... ...I can't..._ My vision all the sudden blacked out and everything went silent. Then suddenly a high pitched wail came from seemingly nowhere.

_"H-h-help! ...Help me!"_

Just as instantly as the blackout occurred, it was gone. _What... What was that?_ I looked around for the person who yelled, but there wasn't anyone else.

"Umm... Mister? Are you alright?" Azurill asked. I glanced at the scared kid before sending him a smile. _I'm sure I heard a cry for help somewhere._

"No, ...nothing is wrong. I thought I heard something is all. I'm sorry for scaring you."

"Hey, Azurill! Let's go!" Marill stood on the other side of the bridge, his stubby paws rested on his hips. Immediately, Azurill ran after his brother, briefly looking back at me.

"Aw! Aren't those little guys cute! Right, Nate... Nate?" Thunder nudged my shoulder with his nose. "What's wrong?"

"...I'm fine, but didn't you hear that scream?" I asked. He tilted his head, giving me a confused look.

"Scream? I didn't hear anything." He turned to the Kecleon brothers asking them the same thing.

"Sorry, but we didn't hear any scream," the purple one said. His brother nodded in agreement. "Maybe you heard one of the visiting pokemon shout, it does get rather loud around here." _Maybe. ...It sounded so real though._

"I'm sure I heard a cry for help," I insisted.

"Well, we'll keep a lookout if you want," the green kecleon said. "If we see anything out of the ordinary, then we'll make sure to get you." I nodded, but I was still sure I heard a scream. I looked back at Thunder, who looked at me as if I were crazy.

"Let's...go back to the guild. We can come back to Treasure Town later." _But...the scream!_ Thunder pushed me towards the trail that leads back to the guild.

"I'm pretty sure it was Azurill who yelled," I muttered.

"He didn't though, Nate." Thunder was trying to sound comforting, but it was only pissing me off. "Look, there they are. Let's go see if they're okay?" _Who's that they're talking to?_

"Thank you Mister Drowzee!" Azurill cheered. The tapir smiled kindly at the duo.

"Don't mention it."

"What's going here?" I asked. The trio was surprised by the sudden interruption, but it was swiftly washed away by excitement.

"Oh, hi Mister Nate!" Azurill greeted. Marill looked happy to see us while Drowzee looked indifferent.

"We lost an item very precious to Azurill. We've been looking for it for a long, loooong, time now, but...we never found it," he explained. "But Mr. Drowzee came along and said he may have seen our item somewhere! He even offered to help us find it! We're so happy!"

"That's...awfully nice," I mumbled. _I guess I was wrong._

"That's so great for you, I'm glad Drowzee is willing to help you find it!" The older pokemon laughed with a snort.

"Oh, please. I really don't mind helping out some young kids. I'de have to have a cold heart to ignore their plea!" he joked. "Let's be on our way then."

"Okay!" Both pokemon cheered.

Marill lead the way for his brother and Drowzee, towards the path that leads towards the Mystery Dungeons, but when they were walking past, Drowzee accidentally brushed against my skin.

"Whoops! Excuse me," he apologized. I didn't really hear him though, for I soon started to feel extremely dizzy again. It made my vision blurred and head throb. _This again? ...I must be getting sick!_

"Wow, that Drowzee must be a nice pokemon, isn't he?" Thunder asked without noticing my discomfort.

_So dizzy..._ I stared at Thunder, trying my hardest to keep my senses together. _I... I can't. It's happening again!_

* * *

A small blue pokemon hopped towards a hole in the side of a mountain, blissfully unaware of his friend's true intentions. "Is this where..." He turned around, looking in all directions for his brother. "Where's Marill? Where's my brother?!" He tried to run away, only to be pulled back by his tail by the older psychic type.

"Now hold on," said the tapir in a menacing voice. "If you keep being difficult," he started, trying to keep his voice from shaking with irritation. "It will mean _big_ trouble for you."

Azurill stared at him in terror, looking around frantically for a way out. "I... I want my brother!" Tears now pooled from his eyes as he cried for help.

"Hush now!"

"H-h-help! ...Help me!"

* * *

I rapidly shook my head in shock at the sight of Treasure Town. _What was that?_

"It would be nice if those little guys found their items soon," Thunder stated. "...Nate? You're looking a little off, is something the matter?" I looked at Thunder, then at the direction, Dorzee went.

"I think those kids are in grave danger," I admitted.

"...What?"

"I-I think I had some sort of vision! I saw Drowzee threatening little Azurill in some sort of cave, that's the scream I heard!" I didn't think he believed me, he only stared at me with narrowed eyes. "That's twice now! I got dizzy and had a...had a vision! Thunder, I think we should go after them right now!"

"Wait! Hold on, you had a vision?" he repeated. "You want to go after them? Now?"

"Thunder?" He turned, refusing to look me in the eye.

"Well, it does sound like an emergency, but..." Thunder hesitated, finally looking me in the eyes. "It's not that I don't trust you, Nate. It's just... Look," he sighed. "I know that whole palpitoad thing messed you up, and you...somehow turned into a Zorua. I think you're just tired, after all, Drowzee seemed like a very nice pokemon."

"You... You don't believe me?" I whispered.

"I-I think you're just tired. Maybe that's why you had such a horrible daydream." I shook my head, letting out a fierce growl. _I know what I saw!_ "Anyways, it's not like we can just go do whatever we want; we're part of the guild now. I don't think Chatot will be too pleased if he found out we ran off." _I...guess that's true._

A strong feeling of doubt washed over me. What if Thunder was right? _He doesn't trust me._ I knew that we had to return to the guild soon, Chatot would probably be really angry if we didn't. _But he might hurt Azurill..._

"Maybe," I muttered. Could I be wrong? If so, then I would have nothing to worry about, but something is telling me to go after them.

"We're only apprentices, Nate, so let's head back now. Bidoof's probably still waiting."

I turned towards the path they took with a sigh. "I guess you're right. ...Let's go."

* * *

"Chatot wants you to take on an outlaw, yup yup!" The beaver laughed to himself before turning to the board. "You folks ready to take on a lawbreaker?"

"Yeah, I guess we are." I was shocked that we would be taking on an outlaw so soon. We only just started our training the other day, but I guess I did feel a little flattered that Chatot trusted us to take one on.

"Let's see... What should we pick?" Thunder asked.

" _I'll_ pick out your mission, yup yup!" Bidoof looked slightly annoyed by Thunder's comment.

"Err... Please don't choose anyone too scary!" he squealed.

"Yes, sirree!" Bidoof laughed while squinting his eyes at the board. "Let's see..."

_"Stand clear! Updating criminal status! Stand clear! Updating criminal status!"_

"What's that!" Thunder yelled, taking a step back in fear. "What's happening?!" Bidoof chuckled, sending us a reassured look.

"Oh, the data's getting updated," he explained. As soon as he said this, the entire board flipped, leaving us looking at a blank slate of wood.

"Yikes! did you see that Nate?" I nodded, of course, I saw it.

"The Outlaw Bulletin Board and the Rescue Bulletin Board are on rotating panels," the normal-type explained. "While the board is flipped, Dugtrio takes old missions off the board and replaces new ones, yup yup! His tunnels go way under the guild, he tunnels all the way over here! Then he flips the board back over, it isn't noticed very much, but by golly is this an important job!" _Doesn't get noticed much?_

I don't really understand how anyone could not notice it; although, I guess everyone's usually on missions. It was so loud though, anyone nearby could notice it.

_"Update complete! Stand clear! Update complete!"_

"Looks like he's done," I stated.

"Yes, sirree! The data has been updated! There are new outlaws now, so let's get ready to pick one!" I was about to agree, only...I felt a weird shivering sensation beside me. _Is that... Is that Thunder?_ I looked over at my partner, whose eyes were locked on the board while his whole body trembled.

"Thunder? Is something wrong?" _Is he getting dizzy too?_

"Huh?" Bidoof turned to Thunder, tilting his head when he answered. "What's ailing you? Why are you shivering all of a sudden? By golly, is it that cold in here?"

"L-l-look at this, N-Nate," he stuttered. He lifted a paw, pointing towards the board. "The top left! L-Look at the top left, Nate!"

"Is it someone you know-" My whole body froze as I stared at the poster.

"It's _Drowzee!"_ Thunder shouted. "He's a wanted c-criminal!" He took a step back, his tail lashing in rage. He turned to me, a look of regret evident in his gaze. "W-we have to get going! Azurill will be in danger!" Instantly, we bolted for the exit, scrambling over each other in sheer panic.

"Am I crazy now!" I growled.

"I never said you were crazy," he replied. "But we have to focus on the kids now, we'll talk later!"

* * *

"Look! There's Marill!" We ran as fast as we could towards Marill, who stood in place yelling for his brother.

"Marill, what's wrong? Where's Azurill! and Drowzee," I yelled.

"I-I can't find them! After we left, I wound up all alone while looking for our lost item. Mister Drowzee took Azurill somewhere I couldn't follow! I called and called, but they didn't come back! I got scared..." He rubbed how puffy eyes and let out a quiet hiccup.

"Which way did they go?" Thunder asked urgently. He turned, pointing to an unfamiliar path.

"Th-that way! Follow me!" We ran beside him as fast as we could, all of us hoping that we weren't too late.

_I'_ _ll never forgive myself if Azurill gets hurt!_


	5. Mt. Bristle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate and Thunder traverse Mt. Bristle as they search for Drowzee

**Mt. Bristle B1F**

"Are you sure Marill will be alright?" Thunder asked. I shrugged, not looking back at him.

"If he listened to me and went back to the guild, then yes. He's a smart kid, I'm sure he'll be fine."

We didn't talk after that. My anger towards him and the fear that I had failed Azurill kept me from talking, while Thunder's regret for distrusting me kept him silent. I knew it was petty to be angry at him, I wouldn't have believed me either, but... _I don't know Thunder. I don't know who he is, or where he comes from or anything really. I've only known him for a short while, but I...I feel close to him. Like I've known him for a very long time._ "Look, I-"

Suddenly, a thick green liquid flew at me from the floor, completely drenching me and the bag. I looked down, glaring at the now uncovered tile. "Gross..."

"That's...a Sticky tile," he explained. "Feral pokemon tend to set up traps all over their territories. There are all sorts of them, even ones that can send you out of a Mystery Dungeon!"

"I thought they weren't smart... They can come up with elaborate traps, but they can't learn a common language?" He shrugged, then glanced at the bag with concern.

"None of our stuff is ruined, right?" _Huh?_ "I heard that sticky traps can seep through any type of bag. Any item it touches, it automatically ruins it," he explained. _That's not good..._

Immediately, I threw the bag off and searched through it. The slime was all over the outside of the bag but it seemed to be- "You're sure the items are ruined?" I asked. He nodded, leaning over to look in the bag.

"An apple, Oran Berry, and the Rawst berry... I'm sure we can find some more, but we have to hurry up! Azurill could be hurt by now!" _You don't have to shout at me, it's not like I knew there were traps everywhere._

* * *

**Mt. Bristle B7F**

"I think we're lost," I finally muttered.

We had been walking around this floor for a while now. The caves were pretty much all the same. The floors were all grey, the walls all had the same jagged edges, even the stalactites looked the same. It wasn't all bad though, we found another Oran berry and 50 Poke. I didn't know that money was able to be found in Mystery Dungeons, apparently, travelers who faint in here lose half their items, including their money!

"Yeah, you might be right," he replied. He stopped and looked around the cave. "I haven't seen any of the pokemon we fainted either... We must be finding new paths." _Or we're walking in circles..._

"What would your clan do if you were lost?" I asked. He shrugged, flicking his tail with concern.

"I'm trying to think..." He sighed. "They didn't get lost often since we had migrated that way so many times. Only when they needed new territory is when they would explore and get lost, but we always had each other, so there was never anything to worry about." _Oh. I guess that's not much help then._

"Umm... Let's try leaving scratches on the walls, if we see a scratch, then we'll know if we're going in circles," I suggested.

"Alright, that sounds like a good idea!"

Sure enough, we were walking in circles. We must have found a new path because when we managed to get back, we saw the body of a fainted Starly on the ground. "At least we're getting somewhere," Thunder sighed. I nodded.

"Yeah. ...I wonder if Drowzee had the same problem?"

* * *

**Mt. Bristle B9F**

"Do you think we're getting close to the peak?" I asked. Thunder shrugged, stopping to look around the cave.

"I don't know, but we've been climbing for a while. The caves are getting a lot more...larger too, maybe that means we're getting close?" _How was Azurill able to make it all the way up here? Drowzee must be strong to protect him from all these pokemon._ "Hold on!" Thunder's entire body went rigid, while his ears twisted and turned.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Drowzee!" he hissed. He ran forward and peaked over a small stalagmite. I followed closely behind him, noticing that Drozee was indeed still with Azurill. "Let's watch them for a minute." I nodded in agreement.

Azurill and Drowzee appeared to be heading towards a large rock with a hole in it. Azurill hopped over, crouching down in front of the hole just big enough to fit him.

"Uh-oh. It's a dead end." He stood up with a confused look before peering into the hole. "Is this where... Excuse me Mr. Drowzee, is where my lost item is?" he asked.

Drowzee cackled, smirking darkly at Azurill, who backed up in fear at the sudden shift in moods. "Sorry, kiddo. That lost item of yours isn't here, that's for sure!" Azurill looked around in a panic, tears starting to fall from his eyes.

"Marill? W-where's my big brother?" He bolted forwards, only for Dorwzee to catch him by the tail and drag him backward.

"He's not coming, not anytime soon. You see, it was all a trick. I fooled you," the tapir explained.

"Huh?" Drowzee sighed, turning Azurill towards the hole.

"But let's not dwell on that," he said in an attempt to sound calm. "I need a little favor from you, you see? You see that hole behind you?" Azurill nodded. "Well, there's a rumor that there's a special treasure hidden in there. But as you see, I'm simply too big to squirm my way into that hole! That's where you come in."

"I-I!"

"Don't worry," he assured, lifting his hand up, making him look like the friendly guy from before. "If you're good I'll let you go home, and if you stay quiet, I'll even give you some of the treasure!" Azurill rapidly shook his head and tried to run away.

"I-I want my big brother!" he wailed.

"Now hold on," said the tapir in a menacing voice. "If you keep being difficult," he started, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "It will mean _big_ trouble for you!" Azurill stared at him with terror, frantically looking for a way out.

"H-h-help! ...Help me!"

I gasped at the yell. It was exactly as I saw it, the same place, same scream, ...the same words. It the same thing I saw in my vision!

"Drowzee! You let him go right now!" I screamed. I leaped forwards, unable to stay hiding any longer.

"Yeah, w-we won't let you do that!" Thunder added, following close behind me. Drowzee looked at us in horror, immediately letting go of Azurill's tail. Azurill scampered off behind some rocks, not looking back at us.

"H-how did you find this place?" He took a step back, glancing around the room for an escape.

"We're Team Abyss!" I declared. Thunder nodded.

"An exploration team! There's no criminal that can escape us!" he growled.

"An...exploration team," he repeated. He glanced at me then stared at Thunder. "You're trembling?" _Thunder! You have to hide your fear from him!_ "Ah, that's right," he smirked. "I'm a wanted criminal with a hefty bounty" He walked towards us, suddenly seeming a lot fiercer than he actually was. "I get it! You're total rookies!" he cackled.

"N-no! I-I'm trembling with rage!" I glanced at Thunder, as well as Drowzee, not fully believing him.

"We may be rookies, but we're not afraid to take you on!" I shouted. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"I've been chased by countless exploration teams in my years, and never once have I seen a sorrier-looking lot than you!" He grinned. "Can you children take me on, an experienced criminal?" _I''m positive we can!_

"We won't lose to a bad guy like you!" Thunder yelled, charging at Drowzee with some sort of sparking tackle. He crashed into Drowzee, knocking him over before leaping back.

"If that's the case..." Drowzee stood up, shaking the dirt off his skin and sent us a glare. "Then so be it!" Suddenly, he shot a strange pinkish wave from his nose heading straight towards us! Thunder leaped out of the way, but because I had the bag, I couldn't make it in time. I closed my eyes, waiting for something to happen but nothing did.

"Nate!" I opened my eyes, noticing Thunder locked in combat with Drowzee. "Dark types are immune to psychic attacks!" _Right!_ "Use your bite!" I pounced with full intent on attacking Drowzee only to see him shove Thunder back.

"Not so fast!" Drowzee turned, his fist glowing, and Punched me hard, sending me crashing into the earth.

"Ahh!" I writhed in the dirt, stunned by how powerful that attack was. _This guy's no joke!_ Drowzee stood over me with an evil smirk, his fist glowing with another Brick Break.

"How do you like Brick Break? I learned it to deal with pesky dark types like y-"

"Leave him alone!" I glanced up, watching at Thunder used that new attack again. This time Drowzee was locked in place, little jolts of electricity flowed abound him. "Now's our chance Nate!"

I shakily stood up, nearly falling over in pain. I glared at Drowzee, who stood frozen in place at Thunder attacked him. I shook my head, feeling the pain start to ebb away.

"Take this!" I leaped up, biting down on his arm. _Huh?_ I felt Drowzee trembling beneath me and just I was about to get off, he threw both me and Thunder against a nearby wall. He shook his body with a groan, finally getting over his paralysis.

"I hate to admit it, but you two did a number on me." He glared at me, flicking the blood off his wound. "But I'm done playing these silly games. I came here to get treasure and that's what I'm going to do."

"N-no!" I rasped. I struggled to stand but fell down again. _Azurill's counting on us! I... We can't give up!_ "We're not done!" I managed to stand, only to be kicked down by Drowzee.

"Oh I think you are," he laughed. "You two are weak, that's all there is to it. Look at you children, trying to be someone special. Just stay down and I'll let you live." He turned, lifting his foot off of me, and was completely intent on leaving us there.

"We can't give up, Nate!" Thunder lowly hissed. I looked at the damaged shinx with approval. "That move I learned earlier, it's called Spark. I'll charge at him while he's not looking, and then you attack his head with a bite. ...I don't want to get hit with another psybeam..." I nodded, finally managing to stand up.

"Azurill!" Drowzee called. "Where are you? Hurry up! I don't want to wait any longer!" He crouched down in front of the hole, not noticing Thunder stalking him. "Err... When I get my claws on you I'll-"

"Now!" Thunder smashed into the middle of Drowzee's back, knocking him forwards, but not over.

"Why you little!" I dodged his Brick Break and leaped onto his chest, biting down in his oddly shaped nose. "Gaaah!" He thrashed around in an attempt to shake me off; however, it was to no avail. I dug my claws into his chest while Thunder bit onto his other arm. Finally, he threw Thunder off and grabbed me with both arms and threw me to the ground, causing his skin to rip off with my claws.

He glared at us, his body staggering with exhaustion. Blook covered his yellow skin, pooling at his feet. He gasped for air while he started to shake. With a final growl, Drowzee fell forwards, collapsing on the ground.

"You did it!" We looked up as Azurill shot out from beneath a nearby rock. "I thought you were beaten!" he cried.

"You're alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" I asked. Azurill shook his head.

"N-no. But I thought he was! It was s-so scary!" Thunder sighed with relief.

"That's good, but we should probably head back down to the guild. Marill is waiting for us." At the sound of Marill, Azurill immediately leaped for joy! Thunder smiled, then turned to look at the bag. "We should probably have an Oran Berry after that fight!"

"What's going to happen to him?" I asked, pulling our only two Oran Berries.

"Drowzee? We'll get Officer Magnizone to come and get him; he runs the police station in Treasure Town," he explained.

* * *

**Mt. Bristle base**

By the time we did get to the base, we were met by Marill and the officers.

"ZZZT! I am Magnezone, the lead officer in this zone! ZZZT" The two Magnemites moved from behind and surrounded Drowzee, who we "kindly" dragged down from the mountain. "Thanks to you, we were able to catch this criminal! ZZZT! We owe you a great thanks! We will send your reward to your Guild! ZZZT! Thank you once again!"

He turned to the Msgnemites, sending them a signal to move on. "Now, ZZZT! Please, come with us! ZZZT!" As they hauled Drowzee away, I heard him mutter something under his breath; however, I was unable to hear him.

"Azurill!" Marill rushed forward, taking Azurill into his arms. "Are you hurt?"

"Waaah! It was so scary!" he wailed, nuzzling up to Marill.

"He's fine," I spoke up. "He hasn't been hurt in any way." Marill sighed in relief, setting his brother on the ground.

"That's a huge relief," he sighed. "I was so worried! When I got to the guild, I just had to get Officer Magnezone!"

"We're glad you two are happy!" Thunder meowed. He sat next to me, his tail swishing happily.

"Thank you! You... You did this for us... I promise, we won't forget this, Nate, Thunder. Really I can't thank you enough!" I smiled at them.

"It was no problem really," I laughed. "I'm just glad no one got hurt!"

"That's right! We're an exploration team, it's what we do!" Thunder chuckled.

We said our goodbyes with the duo and turned back towards the guild. Both of us were still injured from the battle, but we were so happy to reunite them, we nearly forgot about the pain. I couldn't help but think about what Drowzee said though.

_"You're weak, that's all there is to it. Look at you children, trying to be someone special. Just stay down and I'll let you live!"_

Drowzee was probably going to kill us after getting the treasure. We didn't battle too well either, I wasn't expecting him to know a fighting type move and it really hurt me too. _We're going to have to train hard in order to be a good exploration team._ I glanced at Thunder, who walked with his head raised high. _He already looks down on himself and I... I haven't been the kindest to him either._ I shook my head. _I can't tell him what I think._

If we had this much trouble with battling Drowzee, then what would happen to us in the future?

* * *

"Well, done you two, another great job well done!" Chatot said, clapping his wings together. "I've received the bounty from Officer Magnezone, here's your share of the job!" He extended his wing forwards, handing us only 300 Poke.

"That's it! After all our hard work, we only get three-hundred Poke!" He tilted his head then out a small laugh.

"But of course! It's all part of our training!" He sent us a smile then hopped towards the ladder. "That being said, you've performed excellently today. As an extra bonus, I've decided to give of the day off tomorrow." _Really?_

"Why?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Don't expect this after every mission, but now and again if a team does exceptionally well, they'll get a day off," he explained. _I guess that makes sense, but Chatot doesn't seem like the type to give day offs._

"T-thank you Chatot!" Thunder stuttered. With a nod, Chatot turned and went down the ladder. "It's thanks to you, Nate!"

"Me?" I asked. _What did I do?_

"If you didn't have that vision, then we might not have known Drowzee was a criminal." _That is true. Those visions were from the future, but why was I able to see it?_

"But we would have seen his picture on the board," I replied. He shrugged, his smile growing bigger.

"But if you didn't warn us, I wouldn't have dragged you over to them. We probably would have continued exploring Treasure Town!" _Right! We didn't even finish taking a tour of the town._ "Really, you did a good job!"

"T-thank you!" _Why am I getting flustered all of the sudden?_ I shook my head, trying to hide my blush. "A-anyways, let's head down to dinner. I'm sure Chimecho is nearly done.

* * *

*Strike*

I looked up at another flash of lightning. Ever since we came back, a huge storm rolled in. The thunder was booming, and the hail pelted against our window. _It would have sucked to be stuck in Mt. Bristle right now._

"Nate?" Thunder asked.

"Yeah?" I yawned.

"There was a huge storm the night before I found you unconscious on the beach. It's been a few days since then, so have you remembered anything?" I shook my head with a sigh.

*strike*

"I wish I did. I know that I was a human, but being a Zorua is so weird. I don't know anything about this world," I said.

"I guess that must be hard," he stated, flopping into his own nest. "But that's alright, just try to remember a little at a time."

I wanted to agree with Thunder, but something about this whole situation didn't seem right. _Why am I a Zoura? Why did I end up on a beach?_ It was all too confusing anyhow.

"Hey, Nate? You're still awake, right?" Thunder whispered. I nodded.

*strike*

"With this storm, I doubt I could."

"I've been thinking about you ever since we formed Team Abyss. That strange dream you had and your strange personality, I think they might be connected." It took me a minute to process what he said, but it was true, or at least a good theory.

"What's wrong with my personality?" I asked. Immediately, his head shot up.

"That's n-not what I meant!"

"Geez! I was only kidding," I laughed. He sighed relief, then sunk back down into his nest.

"A-anyways, I have no idea of what happened to you before washing up on that beach. But I think you were a good...whatever you are before, after all, that dream was able to help us catch Drowzee," he explained.

"You know," he started. "Time has been going out of whack recently." _Out of whack?_ "I think that's why it's making more and more pokemon turn feral. The natural disasters haven't been as bad in recent history, but-"

*strike*

"I...do not know what you're talking about."

"Right!" He shook his head with a chuckle. "There are these things called Time Gears that are placed all over the world. They each hold a place in time, and everyone knows not to go near them."

* * *

But a pokemon was indeed planning on stealing one. There would be a lone, angry, pokemon leaping across treetops and dashed along the forest floor. The rain nor the storm bothered him as he ran faster than lightning to a secluded spot in the brush.

_"But what would happen if one were to be stolen? Like if a region lost its Time Gear?"_

_"I can't answer that."_

The lone pokemon came to a large clearing and skidded to a halt. There, floating in the air was a large, blue glowing gear.

_"I assume time its self would stop."_

With great caution, the lone pokemon slowly approached the gear. Looking around to make sure no one was coming.

_"That's why every pokemon is taught to steer clear from them. Not even the most heartless of thieves would go after them."_

The lone pokemon stepped forwards, easily snatching the gear from its rightful place. Finally able to utter those long-awaited words.

"Finally, do my eyes deceive me?" He eyed the gear before gently placing it in his handcrafted bag. "Surely not, but this is the first of many."

A flash of yellow reflected off his eyes before he finally leaped into the brush.


	6. The Clan of Thundering Roars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thunder tells Nate a brief backstory to his clan

"UP AND AT EM' IT'S MORNING!" Exploud yelled. I woke up with a pounding headache. I looked at Exploud with a harsh glare.

"Today is our day off!" I growled. The bigger pokemon shrugged, turning away with a sly grin.

"Chatot did tell me about that, but it's my JOB to wake everyone up on time!" _That didn't have to include us, especially if Chatot had already told you..._ Exploud let out a loud laugh before stomping down the hall for morning roll call.

"Well," I sighed. "Good morning." I turned to Thunder's nest, expecting him to be just as shaken as I was; however, I saw him gazing out the window with a longing look in his eyes. "Is something wrong?" He flicked his ear in response. "Thunder?"

"I've just been thinking about something all night," he answered, with a brief hooray being heard in the distance.

"What was it?" He turned, laughing quietly, and sent me a smile.

"The storm reminded me of my family, is all." He pushed himself away from the window, walking back to his nest slowly. "I haven't really missed them like I do now."

"O-oh, I'm sorry!" _I wouldn't have asked if I had known!_ I didn't know what he was feeling. I couldn't miss anyone, not if I couldn't remember at least.

"No, it's fine. I've been meaning to tell you about them anyways," he meowed. He rubbed his paws across his face and sighed.

"You don't have to, Thunder. If it's too personal, then just don't tell me. I'll understand." He shook his head.

"No, It's fine. Really it is." I sat down, not at all convinced by his words.

"Alright, if you're sure."

"Our clan is made up of shinx, Luxio, and Luxray. In my clan, only two male luxray are allowed in the clan; the leader and his second in command. Other Luxray are considered a threat and must be eliminated." _Eliminated? Do they have to kill their own species?_ "We are known as the Clan of Thundering Roars; we were granted the name from the legendary pokemon Raikou," he explained.

"You mean you've met a legendary pokemon?" I asked. He shook his head, a small blush appearing on his cheeks. _I don't know what that means, but it sounds almost regal. I'll have to ask him about it after._

"N-no, I haven't. This happened years and years ago; we're told this story as kittens." He paused, flicking his tail in thought. "Apparently, our clan fought a great battle with Raikou. I don't know if we won or not, but Raikou was apparently really impressed with our skill. He gave our clan the name The Clan of Thundering Roars as a result." _I guess it makes sense. It's just like legends and such, I bet they didn't even meet this Raikou._ "Umm... I really don't know what else to say about them. I mean, I already told you why I left."

"What about your family? You haven't said anything about them. Or what about you, what was your life in the clan?"

"I guess I can. Let's see..." he trailed off. "I was born on a stormy night when there was no rain or lightning. Only booming thunder roared, so that's why my father named me Thunder. It was also the name of our first leader, so it was supposed to bring good fortune."

"What do you mean supposed to?" I asked. He thicked his ear, turning his gaze to the floor.

"Well... I already told you that I love mythology and that I love adventure. I mean, our clan moved a lot to our territories, but I grew tired of the same lands. I started getting more and more interested in things like old legends and folklore."

"What's wrong with that?" I asked. _That doesn't seem like anything bad._

"Our clan is full of warriors, so to speak. That's what luxray are known for, you know, for being powerful and confident. Err... You know me, I'm a coward. I'm sure you can guess what happened."

"Yeah, I think I do." _I do feel bad for him, but what if that's normal for them? I don't know everything about pokemon, I can't remember much I knew from before._ "It sounds rough."

"Yeah," he nodded. "It took me a long, _long_ time to decide to leave, though. It wasn't all bad, I had my mother and a few friends, but I finally decided to leave a few months ago. And well, you know what happened after that," he explained. _Yeah, he found me on the beach._

"I was planning on going back, but... When I found you on the beach, I thought, for a moment, that you were like me. Someone who left their clan, or pack, to explore the world! But... Well, we're here now. Both of us don't have a clan or such to go back to."

"H-hold on!" I shouted, standing up from my nest. "I've never met "my" pack, Thunder I used to be a human. Everyone keeps saying "where is your pack" or "is your pack nearby?" It's just confusing! I know next to nothing about this world or where I came from! Do you know about my species? Can you explain it to me?" Thunder glanced away in shock.

"O-oh, I'm sorry. I really haven't explained anything to you, I guess... I don't know too much about Zoroark and Zorua; I can only tell what I know from legends," he meowed. I sat down with a sigh, feeling somewhat sorry for my previous outburst.

"That would be nice."

"Alright," he nodded, flicking his tail in agreement.

"I once read an article that said zoroark used to be poached by humans centuries ago. Nearly all of them died, so they learned a move called illusion. Because of that move, they were able to create an illusion in the surrounding area."

"What do you mean?" I asked. _I wasn't aware that a pokemon could create illusions._

"Illusions, at first, allowed them to create an illusion of well...anything really; a forest, a cave, or even a dungeon. Anything along the lines of those so that they could fool the humans into not killing them." _...Were humans really like that?_

"You said at first, what does that mean?"

"Well, both zoroark and zorua had to use illusion so much that it became a part of them. It's kinda like the move Transform, now that I think about it, but they don't need to actually see the pokemon like ditto. That's what my mother told me, at least. " He sat up, running his paw across his face.

"After humans went extinct, zoroark and zorua were still afraid of them. When pokemon started exploring new lands and such, zoroark and zorua decided to stay secluded. Everyone says that there is only one pack left in the world, so only a few pokemon have laid eyes on them. Actually, there's a lot of pokemon who don't even believe they exsist...that _you_ exist." _Really? We're that rare?_

"Hold on," I asked, flicking my ear impatiently. "That doesn't explain why almost every pokemon acts so...fond of me. Is your pack nearby? Oh, a zorua! How cute! It's starting to creep me out."

"Oh," he paused, tilting his head in thought. "Well, some pokemon, like the kecleon brothers, think of it as an honor, or a polite gesture. I've been told that zoroark, because of their great fear of humans, are extremely protective of their offspring. That's why, even if you're around, pokemon tend to put you on a pedestal. I heard somewhere that they've even killed pokemon over it." _Oh..._

"Well, is there anything else you can tell me?" I asked.

"Sorry Nate," he meowed. "There isn't much information about your species. Besides, I only know what I've been told or read. If I could... Are you alright?"

"...I don't know," I admitted. "I'm grateful for this, but I still have a lot of questions." I still wasn't used to being a pokemon, and I was hoping that this would shed some light on my situation. If anything, it made me feel more lost. "I just want to feel, um... Err..."

"I didn't mean to make you feel like this, Nate. This must be too confusing-"

"That's not it," I interrupted. "It's just, this isn't like me. I mean, I...do not know who I used to be, but how I'm feeling now, it just doesn't seem right. It feels like I'm missing something." _That's just making me feel worse than before, but what is it?_ _It must be a memory that's blocked._

"Do you want to talk about it?" I shook my head. _Not yet, I'm not ready._ "Well, then I guess there's no need to dwell on it. Let's go see if there's anything we can do around the guild." I watched as Thunder walked away, talking to me, but not noticing that I wasn't following him. I was too caught up in my thought to even think about following him.

_I'm a human. I'm a human. I am a human. I_ am _a human._ I shook my head and stumbled into the hallway. _What if Thunder's right? What if I really am a zorua? ...No. That can't be right, I know I was a human._ "Nate! C'mon!"

"S-sorry, I'm on my way!" With a sigh, I pushed my thoughts away and ran after Thunder.

* * *

"So...you've come home."

A large black pokemon with a blue underbelly and pink highlights stood above the crowd, the orange glow from the lava and the heat radiating from it made her appear very intimidating.

"I have," the younger female pokemon replied.

She glanced around, noticing the abundance of, purple, eyes swarming around the cavern. "I know I'm not welcome-" she started.

"You're not." The leader stood up high, stretching her legs as far as they would go.

"...You see, I being news." She stood up on her hind legs, lowering her head to the leader. "Back where I'm from, Treasure Town, there's a zorua-"

"They've died out, just recently too." She looked around, gesturing their family and friends to come forward. "Or moved on the very least. It's been years since I've heard from that sorry old pack," she hissed.

"I...would not have come back if it were not true." She nodded to herself, looking her former leader in the eye. "He's not right, I tell you. Thinks he's a human, he thinks I couldn't hear him talking!"

"Hold on." The leader closed her eyes in thought. "If I remember correctly, they were missing..." She glanced down at the younger pokemon and let out a long hiss.

"He calls himself Nate, you see. And-"

"I was going to kill you."

The younger pokemon noticed that all of the other pokemon sat calmly around her. She even noticed her father among them. "But I've decided to spare you, for now." She crouched down, leaning ever so close to the younger pokemon's snout. "Bring me this zorua, go, gain his trust and bring him back alive."

The younger pokemon nodded swiftly, not even needing another order. She scurried off, not even looking back on the group.

...

"Madam." The leader glanced gown on one of her other offspring.

"What?" she growled, still angry that her daughter had the audacity to return home.

"I... Why send her after the zorua? I thought that pack died off." The leader sighed, glancing at the flowing lava beside them.

"We can't take that risk, you fool! If I can get ahead of them, then we'll never be bothered by them again. I want that pack dead, and I don't know if they are already. If that zorua _is_ alive, then that pack is definitely still alive."

"I will not let them live!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know this is a bold decision (If you're coming from Fanfiction.net) to keep the Toxic subplot, even after I made the decision to cut it out. Over the past week, I talked to another user on the site, you know who you are, and we discussed various things about this story. 
> 
> We've come to the conclusion that I could salvage the Toxic subplot. She is helping me re-write certain portions on those later chapters, and I have to say that I'm happy with how it came out.
> 
> Of course, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, this A.N really means nothing to you.


	7. Gatekeeping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate and Thunder do sentry duty

"...AND THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" we cheered in our usual morning chant.

"Okay pokemon, time to get to work!"

"HOORAY!" The rest or the apprentices left while Thunder and I stayed behind.

"We better get started since we-"

"HEY! Rookies, hurry up and get over here!" Exploud screeched, nearly causing us to leap out of our pelts. "The Guildmaster asked us to train you in the fine art of gatekeeping!" _Gatekeeping?_

"That's right!" _Huh?_ I looked around, only to see Exploud and Thunder.

"Who said that?" Thunder asked. We looked around the room again, not noticing anyone but that creep Croagunk.

"Oh, sorry!" Within a moment, Diglett popped up, just in front of us. "The Guildmaster did indeed ask us to put you on sentry duty. We have two new recruits, a furret and a watchog, but they can't make it today."

"We normally don't ALLOW THIS, but the Guildmaster gave us our orders!" _Sentry duty? Why ask apprentices?_

"H-hold on, why are we involved in this?" Exploud glared at Thunder.

"Didn't you LISTEN!? THE GUILDMASTER GAVE US **SPECIFIC** ORDERS!"

"Okay, Okay!" I whined, pawing at my sore ears. _Why did he have to say anything?!_ "Err... What do we have to do?"

"Climb down this here hole, you're on sentry duty after all!" Exploud's moods changed with the flick of a switch, it was almost making this too hard to follow. "We can't have any suspicious characters coming into the guild, so we have an underground surveillance system."

"Is that what the grate is for?" Thunder asked. _Oh yeah!_

* * *

_"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected! Whose footprint? Whose footprint? It belongs to Zorua! It belongs to Zorua!_

* * *

"Diglett watched our footprints to make sure we weren't suspicious!" Thunder exclaimed. I tilted my head.

"That doesn't make much sense," I said. "Couldn't any pokemon be a threat?"

"That is TRUE!" Exploud yelled. "HOWEVER, certain species of pokemon tend to be considered more of a THREAT!" _I guess that makes sense, but I don't fully agree with it._ "Now, that tunnel there leads to the sentry post." He pointed to the small hole beside Diglett.

"Y-you mean we have to climb down there?" Thunder asked.

"Look, all you have to do is inspect the footprint of any entering pokemon and tell me what it is," he sighed. "It's a very SIMPLE process! Do you understand?" I glanced at Thunder, who nodded reluctantly. "GREAT!"

We climbed down the ladder, it was a little hard to see where to place our hands down here, but we managed to get down to the first hall. The tunnel was short, and the dirt underneath was very loose, probably from Diglett roaming back and forth.

"Do you see anything, Nate?" I shook my head.

"It's really hard to see down here," I replied. We walked in a straight line, thin roots grazing our heads, before coming to the base of another ladder. "This one seems goes up," I mumbled.

"I hope we didn't go in a circle." I shook my head from Thunder's comment.

"We couldn't have." _Right? There's no way we went in a circle._ "We didn't make any turns." 

"HOW'S IT GOING!" Exploud shouted, nearly causing me to fall from the ladder. "ARE YOU IN POSITION!?" _Position?_ I looked around, pulling myself from the hatch, not knowing what he meant.

"Over there, Nate! I see light!" We ran forwards, straight into a dead end. We looked straight up, noticing the thin lines from the grate far above us.

"WELL?"

"WE'RE IN POSITION!" While Exploud was loud, even from here, I'm sure if we normally yelled he wouldn't be able to hear us.

"You identify the pokemon, and I'll yell it to Exploud," Thunder exclaimed, running back towards the cave. I stared at Thunder in astonishment. How was I supposed to tell footprints if I couldn't remember most pokemon?

I looked back at the grate with a sigh. _...Fuck._

* * *

"...Your results were...merely adequate," Chatot squawked. _Aw..._

I didn't think it was too bad, I mean, I got a few wrong here and there, which Exploud wasn't too happy about, but I didn't think we did badly. When we got up though, we were met with Chatot, not Exploud.

"I suppose it was the first time you've tried it," he muttered. He shook his head, clapping his wings together. "In any case, here's your reward!" _Wait, we get rewarded for this?_

He handed us a small bag containing: an Oran berry, 100 Poke, and a Pecha berry. "I expect better out of you two next time."

"Hey! We... I tried my best!" I growled. Chatot narrowed his eyes.

"Sorry doesn't cut it! One of those mistakes could have been an enemy pokemon!" Chatot yelled at us for another moment before hopping over to Explouod.

"Well," I sighed. "We got something out it. It's probably more than going out on a mission"

"I guess so." He shrugged, placing the items in the bag. "Hmm... Chatot didn't say that we had to go out on a mission, but we don't have anything else to do."

"Hey, you're Team Abyss, right?" We turned to see an infernape walking towards.

"Yeah," I answered.

"I overheard your conversation, not that I was trying to! Haha! If you're not busy, do you mind running a quick errand for me?" he asked. "Hold on," he paused, holding his massive hand up. "Before you answer. I'm Inferno, Leader of Team Magma!"

"I'm Nate, and this is Thunder," I replied. He nodded, pulling out a small bag.

"We're not busy, so yeah, we can do it," Thunder added. Inferno nodded, handing me the bag.

"I'm expecting an order the Kecleon Market; just tell them I sent you." He paused, pointing to the bag. "The money's in there, you can keep whatever's left over; I just want the bag back." _That sounds easy enough._

"Alright, we'll go do it now."

* * *

"Ah! Team Abyss!" The green kecleon immediately threw his hands in the air.

"We've heard what you did for our little friends! They told the whole town!" his brother added.

"I-it was no problem," I chucked with embarrassment.

"In any case, it's something to be happy about! Anyways, how can we help you?" Thunder pulled the bag out and handed it to the green kecleon.

"We were sent here by Inferno, Team Magma's leader. He said he had some sort of order waiting for him." The duo looked at each other before letting out a long laugh.

"That's right!" The purple one reached in the back, picking a strange looking box up. "This a very special item for one of the members on their team, I'm sure Magmar will be pleased!" Thunder reached for the item, only to have it pulled away. "Now then, that will 10,000 Poke." _T-ten thousand? So much for one little item?_

"How important is this item?" I asked. The purple kecleon tilted his head.

"That, my friend, is a Magmarizer. It allows a magmar to evolve; it's the only way for them to evolve. They're very rare, so the prices are quite high," he explained. _I still think it's a little much for such a small item..._

"That's fine, Inferno gave us the money anyway." Thunder handed the pouch over to the green kecleon, who seemed a little too happy for the purchase.

"Thanks!" he snickered. "Your change is 1,000 Poke; is there anything else we can help you with?" he asked.

"No thanks," Thunder mewed. _No thanks? Inferno said we could keep the change. We could buy something useful for the team._ "Bye Kecleons!"

"We wish you the best of luck!" I stood staring at Thunder, who gestured for me to follow him. _What's wrong?_

"Err... Bye Kecleons." I turned, bolting down the, dirt, path after him. "Did something happen?" I asked.

"What?" He tilted his head. "Nothing's wrong, what made you think that?" he narrowed his eyes as he continued down the path.

"Oh, well you just kinda left in a hurry is all. Plus, last time we had money, you said you wanted to buy some useful items for the team." Almost as if a switch was flipped, Thunder let out a sheepish laugh.

"I didn't mean to be so awkward! I was just so excited by the money, that I wanted to store it in Duskull's bank." He purred, swishing his tail in content. "I thought we should wait for our next mission before we spent it. Just to make sure we had everything we need."

"Oh. I guess that's fine. I was just worried when you didn't answer-"

"Welcome to Duskull's Bank," Duskull interrupted. I looked up, completely unaware that we were even there yet. _I guess it is only up the road._ "How am I able to help you? Hee-hee!" _Does he have to speak in that raspy high pitched voice?_

"We would like to deposit 1,000 Poke," I said, a little creeped out. The ghost flew in a little circle, making the money vanish from our site.

"Hee-hee-hee! I will watch over it, with my life. If I had one that is!" he chuckled at his terrible joke, before bowing slightly to us. "I will watch it for forever even if you do so please."

"...I don't think we'll need forever to spend it," Thunder muttered, flicking his ear nervously. 

"Hee-hee, how else may I serve you?"

"Err... That's all thank you!" I blurted, backing away semi-swiftly. _Gosh, I've hardly known this pokemon and I'm creeped out._

"It was a pleasure doing business with you. I hope to see you, _fine_ children, again."

"Alright, we need to leave."

* * *

"Here's your Magmarizer." Thunder handed the large monkey both the pouch and item.

"Thank's a bunch, rookies! My buddy Magmar has been dying to evolve!" he bellowed. "I was just so busy today, but we always have some rookies around to help!" _I don't know if I should be offended or not..._

"We had nothing else to do anyway," I added. Inferno grinned, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh stop trying to be so modest," he guffawed. He leaned in, pulling the two of close, and sent us a sly grin. "Did you take your earnings? There should have been a thousand or so left." We nodded. "Good, making Poke here can be quite hard, especially as apprentices! It all gets easier as you go, and hey, I heard about that Drowzee incident. It seems like you two are becoming a powerful addition!" He let go, causing us to fall to the ground.

"T-thank you," I stammered. There wasn't really a reason for him to be complementing us like this, after all, we only retrieved an item for him. "Ask us anytime."

"I will-" he paused due to Chimech's call. "We'll have to talk another time, dinner is my favorite part of the day!" He ran down the hall, leaving us behind.

"He's got quite the character," Thunder chuckled.

"I'll say." I turned my gaze towards the hall, feeling hungry myself. "Do you want to head down?"

"Sure, I'm starving!"

* * *

I looked out the window, looking at the full moon. The once salmon and purple sky was replaced by one of pure darkness. A canopy of luminous stars was scattered across the sky, giving small hints of lights. Some were bright and practically sparkled, while others appeared dull and wavered in the darkness, flickering in and out of existence.

For some reason, it appeared more beautiful tonight. Nothing special had happened, but I couldn't help but be captivated by the fierce moonlight.

"Sentry duty knocked me out," Thunder joked. "Any idea why the Guildmaster made us do it?"

"...No," I replied, slowly shifting my gaze towards my partner. "At least I know what some footprints are. I guess that could be useful for the team." Thunder nodded, pawing at the hay in his nest.

"I'm beat, but I think we'll manage." I shrugged as I said, we didn't do too much today.

"Yeah," I yawned. "I think I'm going to sleep now. I want to be ready to go out on a mission tomorrow." With that said, both of us went silent.

...

It was strange, there was an odd feeling in my stomach. No matter how I moved, I just couldn't shake the feeling. _Maybe I'm sick?_ I stared at my paws. _Do pokemon even get sick?_

That was something I never thought about. Pokemon were such powerful beings, that it didn't seem possible for them to get sick. _But I used to be a human, so perhaps I can get sick. Although, if we can get hurt, I'm sure we can get sick._

I tried to fall asleep again, but I just couldn't do it. Something was wrong, I could just feel it. It was as if the air around us was choking me. It was cold, like how it was in winter. What was happening? Was I dreaming?

"What is going on?"


	8. Side Story: Enter Scyther Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scyther takes on a powerful foe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be more side stories, this is the first, and shortest.   
> If you already know who the thief is, then please no spoilers for others who haven't played the games.

{Side Story: Enter Scythe Part I}

"It's you," the scyther growled, watching as the thief hissed at him.

The enemy pokemon glared at the scyther with narrowed eyes. He leaped backward, getting a better vantage point. "You're... You're the thief!"

With that in mind, the scyther once again got into a fighting stance, lifting his scythes up with a growl. His battle with the thief had nearly ended with his defeat, this pokemon was definitely a major threat. "I will take that Time Gear back!" He rose in the air, having difficulty with his damaged wings.

"Stand aside," he answered, his voice deep and filled with malice. He leaped up, hitting the scyther with a powerful Leaf Blade, sending him crashing into a nearby rock, causing it to shatter.

"Gahh!" The scyther glared at the pokemon, who stood above him.

"I have no quarrel with you, but I must be on my way." The pokemon started to walk away without another thought before the scyther slashed him with his blades. The thief turned with a glare, holding his now scared eye.

"I-I'm..." The scyther pushed himself up, forcing himself to stay awake. "I... I won't give up!" He glared at the thief and once again got into a fighting stance.

This battle meant more to him than any other battle he had ever faced, even when he lost against that other scyther, forcing him into exile. This wasn't just about him, if he lost to this thief, then the whole world could be in danger!

"Won't you?" The thief closed his eyes in thought, wondering if this battle was even worth it. "You have sustained massive injuries from our earlier fight, leave now and I will let you live."

The scyther panted and huffed, now having a difficult time breathing. Their fight was long and tough, but the worst damage dealt to the thief was the new scar on his face. It made the scyther briefly wonder if the thief was right.

"N-no." The thief sighed with a shake of his head, his leaves lighting up with his new attack.

"What a pity. You're the only pokemon to put up a decent fight." He took a step towards me. "If you live, then do please forgive me. I have something to do and it can't be done here."

The moment he uttered those words, the thief slammed his blades into the scyther's head, throwing him to the ground. The scyther lifted a blade only to let it fall lamely beside him. He was no match for this pokemon's power.

The scyther forced his eyes open once he heard the thief's footsteps rapidly retreating. How could he have possibly allowed himself to fail? How could he possibly call himself a warrior now?

"I-I must stay...awake..." He told himself, but it was to no avail.

The last thing the warrior remembered was a high pitched scream before he fell into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I strive to make my chapters at least 3000-4000 words long, maybe 5000 if the situation calls for it. I have been busy, and this chapter seemed to fit better being short.


	9. Waterfall Cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate and Thunder investigate a mysterious waterfall

"I'm telling you that something's wrong, Thunder." I didn't understand, why couldn't he just believe me?

"Look, Nate, you might have been dreaming. I usually hear you move a lot in your sleep, and I didn't see or hear you get up." _I know something happened though._

We stood next to Team Thunderpunch, who greeted us happily. "Good morning guys!" Pikachu greeted.

"Good morning Pikachu, Riolu."

"Soooo... Have you noticed the delay in the meeting?" she asked. _Huh?_ I didn't think about it before, but we usually got straight to the point.

"S-she doesn't mean it like that!" Riolu flailed his arms seemingly to make a point. I tilted my head.

"Riolu, what are you talking about?" Pikachu flicked an ear, placing a paw on his shoulder.

"Nothing, Riolu just gets paranoid sometimes. He has a lot to live up to, his grandfather is the-"

"Er, ahem." The entire guild immediately went silent from Chatot's interruption. "I have a very important announcement to make."

"What do you think it is?" Thunder asked. I shrugged, looking back at him with confusion.

"Far to the Northeast, then farther into its outermost reaches... There lies a place called Treeshroud Forest," he continued, his sorrowful expression turning grim. "In Treeshroud Forest...time had apparently stopped."

"Huh?" Noibat gasped.

"Eek! What did you just say?!" Sunflora screeched.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Corphish took a step forward, raising a massive claw. "You're saying that time has just stopped?"

Chatot raised a wing, almost as if he were going to stop the arguing. "Yes," he nodded. "Time has come to a standstill in Treeshroud Forest. The wind has stopped... The clouds appear motionless..." The took a moment to shake his head. "Dewdrops are mid-fall from a leaf... They just hang there, suspended. In Treeshroud Forest, time has abruptly stopped.

Like some sort of frenzy, the pokemon at roll call abruptly shouted in conversation.

"Time has stopped?" I muttered.

"But... How could something like this happen?" Chimecho asked.

"I-it's awful!" Dratini squealed.

"Who would do such a thing?" Ducklett cried.

"Yes, the unthinkable has happened." Chatot looked to the Guildmaster with worry before addressing the guild with newfound confidence. "Why time has stopped in Treeshroud Forest? Well, it's because the Time Gear in that area was stolen."

Immediately, the tension and panic came back like the snap of a twig.

"T-the time gear was s-stolen?" Thunder gasped.

"That's what made the time stop," Corphish grumbled. "Hey, hey, hey!"

"I've heard that's it's possible..." Audino started, looking around the room with sadness. "But I never thought someone would actually go after one."

"That's because they WOULDN'T!" Exploud screeched with outrage, shutting everyone up. He took a step forward, letting out a frustrated yell. "Those time gears have been there for CENTURIES! I just can't believe that ANY pokemon would steal a TIME GEAR!"

I nodded in agreement. It was just as Thunder said, no pokemon would ever go after them. _...But what if that had to do with that strange feeling?_

"Quiet!" Chatot ordered, flailing his wings rapidly. "Officer Magnizone has already opened an investigation. If one Time Gear has been stolen, then the others might be in danger. The officer has kindly asked us to look out for any suspicious characters."

"Do you think that's why we were on sentry duty," I whispered to Thunder.

"Maybe?" he shrugged. "That could be why they hired two new recruits."

"Ahem!" Chatot glared at us. "I ask that you take extra care on outlaw missions for the time being. This pokemon could be quite dangerous." Chatot looked around, noticing our sorrowful moods.

"Now then," he said, probably in an attempt to lighten the tension. "Here's to another busy day!"

"...HOORAY!" Most of the teams left to get work done; however, Thunder and I stayed behind.

"So a Time Gear really was stolen," I mumbled, trying to remember when Thunder explained this to me.

"You two, come over here," Chatot called. We looked at each other with confusion before moving towards the songbird. "You've been doing quite well with your work."

"T-thank you," Thunder stammered. Chatot nodded, a slight smile beginning to form.

"Yes, I have been very impressed with your skill lately. That mission with Drowzee was a complete success; I don't want to know what would have ended up happening to young Azurill if not for you two," he praised. He paused, looking over the two of us before nodding to himself. "So I have decided to give you a mission worthy of a proper exploration team."

I heard Thunder gasp beside me. "R-Really? Hooray!" He practically leaped for joy from the news.

"Now, if you would, please hand over your wonder map."

"Treasure Town is here," he said, pointing to said location with the very tip of his wing. "And..." he moved his wing to the Northeast. "Over here is where I'd like you to investigate. You see this waterfall?" We nodded. "By ordinary appearances, it looks just like a normal waterfall. But we've received intelligence that there may be something more to the waterfall."

"That's where we come in?" I finished. Chatot nodded, handing me the map.

"That is correct. I would like for you two to investigate this waterfall. That is all. Any questions?"

"Understood." Chatot went to continue but stooped to look at Thunder, who just started to shiver.

"Huh? What's wrong? You're shivering." I tilted my head. _Not this again..._

"Thunder? Are you alright?"

"Y-yes! I'm okay. It's just, this anticipation is killing me! This is the first time we're going on a real mission, and it's making me really nervous." I wouldn't have said he was nervous, for he had a huge smile on his face. "Oh, I feel like I'm going to burst from excitement! C'mon, Nate!"

* * *

We left immediately after that. I tried to convince Thunder that we should have stopped at Kecleon's Market, but he was too excited to listen. I really couldn't blame him though, he's been waiting for something like this for months, years even.

"I can't believe Chatot sent us on a real mission!" he exclaimed.

I looked ahead at Thunder, who I let lead due to his excitement. "I know, it doesn't seem like something Chatot would normally do. We must have really impressed him."

"I know, I know!" _Geez, he's like a mile ahead and I can still hear him purring._ "Hey, Nate, look!"

From a distance, the waterfall had been like a silent white stream flowing onto the surrounding land. As we ran towards it the noise had steadily increased until we could hardly hear each other over the thundering roar of the water. The waterfall loomed over us, almost as if we're inferior to its presence.

"Wow," I whispered.

"So this waterfall has some sort of hidden secret." Thunder examined the waterfall, then attempted to walk towards the rushing water, only to be thrown back with a tremendous amount of force. "Yow!"

"Are you alright?!" I yelled my eyes widening in shock.

He trembled on the ground for a moment before shakily standing up. "That water's coming down hard." I waited for him to say more, but he only stood in place. _That must have shaken him up._ I tilted my head, staring at the water.

"Hmm." I walked towards the water, making sure as to not get as close as Thunder had, and hesitantly placed a paw under the water. Within a moment, I withdrew my paw. _He's right!_ It felt like I had placed it in fire and let it burn.

"See? it's intense," Thunder commented, but I could barely hear him. He looked at the bottom of the cliff. "If you fell under this thing, you would probably be battered. I didn't think it would be this powerful."

"Where do we even begin looking?"

Suddenly I felt a familiar sense of dizziness.

_This again?_ I stared at the waterfall, or at least I tried to. The nausea was becoming too intense to even see straight. _It's... It's just like before._ I tried to stop myself from swaying, but it was to no avail.

* * *

_The cliff, where the duo had just been, stood the silhouette of an unknown pokemon. The zorua couldn't make out who it was, but the pokemon was large and had pointed ears._

_The pokemon turned around, almost as if they were leaving. Until they suddenly stopped and turned towards the waterfall._

_It bolted forwards with no hesitation and made a leap of faith towards the waterfall._

_The zorua thought for sure this pokemon had met their fate by crashing into a jagged surface behind the waterfall; however, the pokemon went through the water and rolled into a moist cavern._

_The pokemon looked around, choosing to venture deep into the cavern._

* * *

I gasped, coming back to my senses. _What... It happened again, but what did I see?_

"Huh? Nate?" I glanced at Thunder, just barely hearing him over the water. "What's wrong?"

"I..." I paused, shaking my head to get nausea away. "I had one of those visions again. Like...like when I saw Drowzee and Azurill!"

He stared at me before the realization slapped him across the face. "What?! You had another vision?" I nodded, trying to remember what had occurred.

"Not only that, but there's a hidden cave behind the waterfall." He didn't answer. _That means it's true._ "My last vision was right, Thunder, so this one must be too. I saw a lone pokemon jump through the waterfall and ended up in a cavern."

"But..." He turned towards the water like he still was doubtful. "That water's coming down pretty heavy. Imagine if that was a solid cliff behind there...yikes!"

"You... You mean you don't believe me?" He looked away.

"If we were to jump through there, we'de be pounded badly," he admitted. "Are you really convinced that there's something behind there?"

"I wasn't wrong about Drowzee." _Or that strange feeling._

"Alright," he sighed. "I'm putting my faith in you, Nate. I doubted you before, and I don't want to do that again."

"Thank you, Thunder."

"Okay, I gotta be brave now," he mumbled quietly. "If I get scared and fail to leap through at full speed, then I'll be squashed no matter what I do. If I'm going to do it, I have to have no hesitation! Be brave... The bravest ever!"

"I believe in you Thunder!" I added. _There's a slight chance that I could be wrong. I have to be brave too, I don't want to die like this!_

"Ready? ...Ready! One... Two... Three... Now!"

As one, we dashed down the cliff and leaped. Naturally, I sealed my eyes shut preparing for the 'just in case' scenario. The water burned my pelt as we went through, but it soon released it's grip on us, shooting us onto the cold, hard rocky floor.

"Yow!" Thunder screeched. "Wait... We're alive!" He leaped up, running around me in a circle.

"Yeah, but look at this cave." Thunder stopped his dance to look with me.

"You were right, Nate. I thought for a moment we were toast!" _Thanks, but I knew we would be okay._ "Wow, let's go explore this cave!"

* * *

**Unknown Cave B8F**

"I feel like we've been walking forever," Thunder groaned.

"We have to check every nook and cranny. I don't want to miss anything."

I let Thunder lead me through the cave since he's an electric type. But after the 5th floor, he's been lagging being. "Besides, imagine if Chatot found out we cut corners on this mission."

"I know, especially since we impressed him."

Chatot would probably never let us hear the end of it if we were to go back having cut corners. I, especially, didn't want to end up like that salandit, Toxic. "I guess you're right. Besides, we should be getting used to dungeons by now."

"At least you're an electric type," I joked. He rolled his eyes, running forwards to walk beside me.

"Yeah, but you've been doing a good job at handling the wooper and Tangela."

"Thanks, but did you see- What's that?" I asked.

Up ahead I noticed a large opening in the hall. Brief flashed of different colored lights came from the opening. _What's in there?_

"Wow! Look at this, Nate!"

Inside the chamber lied thousands of different colored gems. All of them were either embedded in the wall, ceiling, or floor. They dazzled shimmered from the water's reflection, causing the entire room to sparkle.

"Woah, look at that giant gem!"

Straight ahead, embedded in the wall, was a gigantic pinkish red gem that shimmered more than the others. "Now that's a gem," I commented.

"That's an incredible treasure!" He turned to me, his eyes sparkling. "Let's take it back and show Chatot!" He placed his claws on both sides of the gem in an attempt to pull it out. "Urrrrgh!" He tried a few more times before backing out with a sigh. "It's just no good. I can't get it to budge. Why don't you try, Nate?"

"I'll do my best." I reached forwards, doing the same as Thunder, only to have my claws easily slip across the gem's surface. _Dang! That really is stuck tight._ I tried again, getting the same results. "Nope. I can't get it out."

"So you can't do it either?" He looked at the gem quizzically. "I'm sure there's a way to get it out. ...I'm going to have another go!"

_How long has that Gem been in there?_ I narrowed my eyes, wanting to know all the answers to this strange cave.

I didn't have much time to think though, for I started to get dizzy again. _It's happening again!_

"Ugh!"

* * *

_The same pokemon from before stood in the cave. It approached he very gem that the duo tried to pull out._

_It stared at the gem before suddenly pushing on the gem._

_Almost as if a key had been activated, the chamber shook. The unknown pokemon looked around; however, he didn't have any time to react._

_Suddenly, a large, swift-moving stream of water flooded the area, sweeping the pokemon away._

* * *

"Huh!?" I looked around frantically, startled by the sudden vision. _B-but that was!_

"I... I just can't pull it out!" He shook his head with a sigh, suddenly leaning against the gem.

"Thunder, NO!" He jumped back in surprise, hearing a small click come from the gem. Just like in the vision, the whole chamber started to tremble.

"Huh? What's happening?!"

"W-We need to get out of here!" I shouted. We tried to run to the entrance but stopped due to Thunder's frantic yell.

"I-It's a flood! R-run Nate!"

I wanted to run, truly I did, but I was just frozen in place.

_This is my fault!_ I crouched to the ground, closing my eyes tightly. _I didn't tell him in time!_

I took one last look at Thunder before being engulfed in the waves.


	10. The Hotspring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate and Thunder find themselves in a strange location after being swept away from the flood.

"H... Can...ear me?" _Huh...?_

I kept hearing these weird voices that wouldn't go away. _What happened?_ "Mr!" _There it is again._ Forcing my eyes open, I could see two blurry pokemon above me.

"...Who?" I lied my head back down, completely exhausted. "What...happened?" I closed my eyes, letting out a long sigh.

"Don't fall...eep! Your fri...d is...ake." The female voice paused, probably waiting for my response. "Please...say something!" This time, the pokemon shook my shoulder.

"I..." I forced myself to stand; although, I was incredibly wobbly. I opened my eyes again, this time being able to make out the shape of a teddiursa and a torkol. "Where... Where am I?" I asked. The teddiursa sighed in relief.

"Oh thank goodness! You just plopped in from nowhere, I thought you were dead!" she cried.

"You gave everyone quite a scare," the torkol rasped in a deep voice. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it." _Huh?_

"Heh-heh! I knew you would be fine!" a mankey snickered. _Fine? ...What does-_ I looked around, where the pokemon were sitting, all of them were in some yellow water.

"Right! The flood! Where's Th-"

"Nate!" I looked up, only to see a flash of blue before I was tackled. _What?!_ I landed in the warm, yellow, water, instantly panicking to reach the surface. "They told me you were dead!"

"Dead?" I coughed. I looked at Thunder then gently pried him off of me after I took a good look around. "I'm...decent."

"Errr..." Primeape grumbled. "I _'_ _ought_ you were dead. 'ere was no way a live zorua washed up on this hot spring." _Hot spring?_

"Hot spring?" I asked. Was that where we were? "And can someone explain what's going on?"

"Indeed!" The orange turtle slowly stepped onto a large rock seated above the spring. "This is the hot spring. It works wonders on many pokemon's tired muscles and creaky joints. Tell me young ones, have you a map?"

"Map? If you mean our wonder map, then yes, we have one." He wiped his tears away with his paw before digging the map out of the damp bag. "It's a little damp, but I'm sure it'll be fine." It took him some time to find the part of the map, due to his poor eyesight.

"Ah, there it is." He pointed his stubby...hand to a small hot spring on the map. "This is the hot spring's location."

"I see," Thunder mumbled. I moved closer so I could see the map as well. "This is the waterfall..."

"Wait, you mean that water carried us all the way over here?" I gasped. _There's just no way!_

"My goodness! It was the water that carried you all the way here?" He glanced at the other pokemon before letting out a hard laugh. "Such a long journey that must've been!"

"Such a long journey that could've gotten you killed," the teddiursa scolded. "You could have drowned." Torkol chuckled with the shake of his head.

"They're quite alright, Luna." He turned to us. "Let the hot spring washed away all your fatigue before you make your way home, I insist." I glanced at Thunder and nodded.

"It's going to be a long walk back," I mumbled. "Sure, we might as well."

Thunder spent most of his time relaxing in the sun, while I talked to the various pokemon in the Hot spring. Specifically, Luna, the teddiursa, who has heard about our team's adventures.

"So you're the famous leader of Team Abyss." She stared at me with her head tilted.

"I-I don't know if I would say, leader." _We never did talk about who would become the leader; I thought we just did this as a team._

"I heard about what you did to Drowzee. Also, Spoink is a friend of mine, he told me all about how you found his pearl." _I forgot all about Spoink._

"Well, we did what we-"

"I thought you had a third member, that's what Spoink said." She raised a hand to her chin. "I'm sure you did. ...It was a Salandit, wasn't it?"

"Oh um... She wasn't on our team, she was just showing us around." I mean, that wasn't wrong? She was never officially on the team.

"Like she was training you?" she asked. I sat next to her, flicking my ear in response. _Did she train us? I mean, all she did was follow us around in there, so I guess not?_

"I guess she kind of did, but not really. She didn't have a team in the guild so Chatot made her do it, then sent her on her way."

"I see." She crossed her arms then nodded to herself. "That's interesting. Wasn't she wasting your time?"

"What do you mean?" She sighed, giving me an odd look. _And how would she know anyway?_

"My dad runs a rescue team, it's similar to an exploration team, it's called Team Grumble, he's not very creative. Him, Beartic, and Pangoro had to kick Beware off of the team," she started, looking fondly at the sky. "He was so strong, so my dad thought he would make a great addition to the team."

"But he was wrong?" She nodded. _What does this have to do with wasting time?_

"He was nice and everything, but he wouldn't listen to Dad at all. He was always off doing what he wanted instead of working as a team. Then one day they went on a dangerous mission to Magma Cavern to save another explorer who had gotten lost." She paused, her expression turning sour. "Dad wouldn't tell me what happened, but I _do_ know that the explorer didn't come out." _Did he die in there?_ "They kicked him out the next morning; I haven't seen him since."

"I...don't know what to say." That was a lot of information she just told me, so I didn't really have too much time to process it.

"Hey, Nate!" Thunder meowed. He trotted over with a warm smile. "It'll be dark soon, so we better head back to the guild."

"Yeah, I'm ready," I replied. I turned back to Luna, who watched us with interest. "Umm...it was nice talking to you, Luna."

"You too." She waved at us with a smile then turned back to the hot spring.

"C'mon Nate!" Thunder called.

With a sigh, I said bye to Luna and followed after Thunder.

* * *

"Hmm, let me see if I got this all straight." He stopped pacing and turned his gaze towards us. "Behind this waterfall is a cave..."

I nodded. "Yeah."

"...In the deepest chamber, lies a gigantic gem..."

"That's right," Thunder confirmed.

"And when you pushed this gem, it triggered a trap of some kind."

"Y-yeah," he stammered, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"And surprisingly, you two were flushed to a distant hot spring. That is the gist of your report?" he asked. I nodded. _It does kinda sound like a made up story._

"Yeah. It's really disappointing that we couldn't bring back the gem."

"No, no, no!" Chatot squawked, flapping his wings enthusiastically. "Enpathetically, no! This is a major discovery!"

"R-Really?" He nodded.

"Undoubtedly! After all, no one knows the existence of the cave behind the waterfall!"

"Oh, I see!" Thunder exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. "We made a discovery Nate!"

I wanted to celebrate with him, but I couldn't stop thinking about my visions. _That_ _shadow pokemon I saw._ The truth was that there was another pokemon who discovered the cave, and not only that, but he seemed to know the secret beforehand. _Who was it though?_ _That shape... Those pointy ears..._ _Ah!_ There was no mistaking who that pokemon was.

"Your waterfall discovery is just amazing! The Guildmaster must be told!"

"Um...guys?" They turned to me, confusion evident in their eyes.

"What's wrong Nate? Aren't you excited?" Thunder asked.

"I'm glad that we got through the mission," I started, "but I think that Wigglytuff has been there before." Thunder tilted his head.

"Huh? You're saying that Wigglytuff has been there before?" he muttered before breaking out in laughter. "You're so silly, Nate. Of course the..." He stared at me, his expression turning into a more serious one. "You're not joking...are you"

"No, no, no!" Chatot broke in sending me a glare. "That is inconceivable! If that were so, then the Guildmaster wouldn't have ordered you to investigate the place, correct?" That seemed true, but there was no way that that pokemon wasn't Wigglytuff.

"I'm sure it was him."

"I think it wouldn't hurt to ask, right?" Thunder spoke up. Chatot glanced at him then back to me.

"Since you insist, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to confirm it," he sighed. He turned, facing the circular window. "Hmm... Why would they want to spoil their own discovery." _Is he... Is he talking to himself?_ "How strange, I should be used to it by now..." He shook his head. "Well, these apprentices are yet another strange crew."

"What was that, Chatot?" I growled. He stiffened.

"What? Oh, nothing, nothing! Nothing at all! Anyways, I must confirm your suspicions with the Guildmaster! Now, please wait here."

...

"So, how'd it go?" Thunder asked. He turned to us with a sigh, his expression unreadable.

"When I asked the Guildmaster about it, he mulled it over for a bit. Then he said..." Suddenly, the small perked up and did an accurate impression of Wigglytuff. "Oh, memories! Sweet memories! YOOM...TAH!'" Throwing his wing out for emphasis. "Then he danced around a bit. Then he said, 'Yes, Yes! When I think real hard, maybe I did go there once or twice!'" He then returned to his usual posture. "And that is what the Guildmaster said."

"To sum it up," he nodded, "it is just as Nate suspected; the Guildmaster indeed has gone to Waterfall Cave."

"Oh...okay," Thunder mumbled, his voice brimming with gloom. "That's really disappointing."

"Yeah," I added. "Why didn't Wigglytuff say that from the start?" Chatot shifted his wings uncomfortably.

"Well, the Guildmaster can be rather...erratic. Even I cannot fathom what runs through his head. That is most unfortunate for you two, but nevertheless, I expect your best effort tomorrow!"

_Yeah, thanks for the support Chatot. We almost died on that mission._

* * *

_Today was exhausting._ "I think I'll go to bed early tonight." I was just about to curl up when I heard Thunder sigh.

"We went through a lot today; we could have even died." He turned towards me with a tired smile. "But, I did have a lot of fun. ...I'm still really disappointed about the mission, but we learned a lot today and it was our first real mission!"

I laughed, "I thought you were going to explode from excitement!" He moved, sitting in his own nest, and chuckled alongside me.

"It made me realize I made the right decision to going the guild." He pulled out his special fragment. "One day I'm sure I'll find out the secret behind my Relic Fragment. That's the dream I have, Nate. I'd be so happy if that dream came true. So...thank you." _Huh?_

"Why thank me? I haven't done anything."

"No, you _did_. Remember with Zubat and Koffing?"

* * *

_"Let's go," I said. I stumbled over to him, nudging him with my nose. "Let's go after them; it was your treasure, wasn't it?"_

_"Y-you'll help me get it back?" He stared at me in shock. I had wanted to know what happened to me, but this shinx was more important._

_"Of course, you were willing to help me on the beach, even though I could have been deceiving you."_

* * *

"If you weren't willing to help me, I don't think I would have gone after my fragment. I wouldn't have joined the guild, or worse, go back to my clan. All of it, Nate, I was able to do all these things because of you. So really, thank you!"

Normally, I would have insisted that he didn't thank me so much, but I was too embarrassed to even speak. Thankfully, Chatot barged in at the right time.

"Hey, you two! The guild master wants to see you right away." _I wonder what's so important in the middle of the night?_

...

With a bow, Chatot announced, "Guildmaster, I've brought you Team Abyss." The Guildmaster sat in his little chair and stared blankly at us before abruptly shouting with excitement, causing us to jump.

"Hiya! Your team went through a lot today! Yes, yes!" He spun around with lightning speed. "But don't worry, I've been keeping track of your activities! I should tell you why I have called you here!" He clapped his paws happily. "We're planning a team expedition soon."

"An expedition?" I asked. _Wasn't what we did today an expedition?_

"Yes," Chatot added. "The guild will go explore an area far away! It's much harder than exploring anywhere nearby. That's why we want to prepare so far in advance."

"So you want us to prepare?" Thunder asked. Chatot grimaced.

"We will pick and choose who goes carefully. ...While I am impressed with your activities, your team is not guaranteed to go."

"Usually, we never ever consider rookies to be expedition members. But you two have been working very hard indeed! That is why we're making a special exception this time, so you two will be considered candidates!" Wigglytuff exclaimed.

"R-really?" I turned to Thunder, who looked like he was about to faint from happiness. Chatot moved in front of us.

"However, if you don't do good work before then, then you cannot expect to be chosen." Chatot's previous guilty gaze turned into one of complete seriousness.

"I'm sure you two can do it! Try hard!" Wigglytuff spun in a circle, singing a little tune.

"W-we will! You won't be disappointed!" Thunder turned to me, an excited grin on his face. "Let's make sure to always do our best!"


	11. Staravia and the Thief!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate and Thunder take a mission to Mt. Bristle.

"HOORAY!" The pokemon dispersed as usual, while Thunder and I stayed behind.

"What should we do today?" Thunder asked. _We've been doing a lot lately, so why don't we do something a little more...tame._

"Why not just take a normal rescue mission?" He nodded, turning towards the ladder.

"It'll be nice doing a regular job today, after all we've done."

"That's what I was thinking." I followed him up the ladder and moved in front of the board. "What should we do?" There were a lot more missions on the board than usual, at least, not as many as when we came here. _It seems like a lot more pokemon need help._

"How about this one, Nate?" _Hmm?_

_Hello, my name is Minun. My sister, Plusle, went into Mt. Bristle all alone. I tried to go after her, but the wild pokemon scared me way too much. ...I don't do well with ground types. I don't know what I will do if I can never see her again! Please, whoever is reading this, please save my sister!_

_-Sincerely Minun._

I nodded, but I couldn't understand why she would go alone, especially if she's an electric type. "Let's see if there are any more missions for Mt. Bristle. _Huh?_ "I overheard Noibat saying that as long as you take missions from the same dungeon, then you could do as many as you like," he explained. With a nod, I glanced around the board, only finding one other mission.

_I seemed to have dropped my Oran Berries somewhere in this dungeon called Mt. Bristle. Please, I'm very low on health and the starly are starting to swarm. I beg that someone brings me another Oran Berry!_

_You can find me on the fourth floor, behind a large boulder. Please hurry!_

_-From Weedle._

"What about this one; Weedle seems like he's in serious trouble." _Why would a weedle go to such a dangerous place like Mt. Bristle?_ Thunder grabbed the paper, nodding in agreement.

"That's fine, we better hurry." He went to the ladder but paused, looking at the Outlaw board. "Should we take one of their missions?" I shook my head.

"Maybe tomorrow, but not while we have these missions."

* * *

**Mt. Bristle B2F**

"Do you think we should have stopped at Kecleon's Market?"

While we were walking around Mt. Bristle, we found a few items like a Rawst Berry, which cures burns, an apple, and 16 Poke. But we soon realized that our bag was already pretty full. The last time we went to Treasure Town, we only stopped at Duskull's Bank, we didn't even visit Kangaskhan's Storage.

"I think well be alright. We have Oran Berries for Weedle, who's on the fourth floor, and once we find Plusle, we can use our badges to leave." _Unless she's on the last floor._ "We'll just have to pick and choose our best items."

"I guess so."

Not much happened after that. The stairs were just around the corner, while it was guarded by a starly, Thunder easily took care of it. I just wanted to get through the dungeon, it made me feel more and more uncomfortable the longer we stayed here.

* * *

**Mt. Bristle B4F**

"Do you think other drowzee live here?" I asked.

"I don't think so," he meowed, shaking his head. "I think it was just greed that brought Drowzee here. Plus, psychic types wouldn't be able to live in a place like this."

"Still," I shrugged, "I thought it would be nice to ask. Drowzee was so strong, so I wouldn't want to fight another one."

"I know." Thunder ran forwards, now walking beside me. "But I learned Spark because of it. My first electric type move! It's so easy to take on flying types now; these starly have nothing on me!" He laughed, flicking his tail confidently. "No more struggling for us!" _I wouldn't say that._

Part of it was true, though. Traveling through Mystery Dungeons had become a lot easier since we first started. _My paws don't hurt as much from walking, and I'm starting to get used to battling._ I was at least a lot better than when we first started. Now, though, I don't have to worry about flying and water types, most of them anyways.

"Hey, we're on the fourth floor right?" Thunder nodded. "Then Weedle should be somewhere around here; behind a large boulder I think?" _Starly should be swarming too._

"H-help! Someone help us!" _Huh?_

"Hurry, Nate! That must be Weedle!" Immediately, we wandered down a nearby corridor that leads to an open room filled with starly. "L-look at all those starly!" There were four starly and what appeared to be a huge one. Occasionally, one of the birds would dive down, trying to get at an opening under the rock.

"Weedle said us," I mumbled. I peered forwards, narrowing my eyes at the rock. I could see Weedle, but behind him, there was a small flash of red. _Wait, aren't Plusle red?_ "I think Plusle is with him."

"Yeah, I-I think so too' I can see her behind Weedle."

With the confirmation, I started to walk forwards. "Then let's go," I said, only to be yanked back by my tail. "OW!"

"We can't just waltz right in there, Nate!" he hissed, spitting out some of my fur.

"Why not?" Weren't you just talking about how easy starly were to take out? 'They have nothing on you'" He flinched, turning his gaze to the floor.

"Y-yeah, but there's so many of them. I can't fight all of them! You see that bigger one?" I turned, looking at the large starly. "That's a staravia, starly evolves into them." _What does that have to do with anything? Shouldn't it be a little stronger than a starly?_

"We've battled evolutions before, Thunder. Heck, there are nidorino and nidorina all though this mountain! We'll take them on together."

"I..." He looked up at me, his gaze wavering with uncertainty. "Alright, Nate. Let's do this!"

We walked to the center of the room, only stopping to yell at the birds. "Hey!" The staravia glared at us but continued to attack Weedle. "We're Team Abyss, an exploration team!" _Why am I telling this to a feral pokemon?_ As soon as it heard the word team, it bolted towards us stopping just above us; the force if the wind almost blowing us back.

"Exploration team?" she muttered. _W-what?_ The starly stopped circling the boulder, choosing to float behind their leader. "You've come to help us then? Even though I didn't put a plea in?"

"Help you?" I asked. She narrowed her eyes at us.

"Yes," she said, her voice soft. "There is a thief among us, we're trying to get to that little pest!" Thunder shrunk down, flattening his ears.

"I-I don't understand? We're here to help Weedle." She glared at us, her feathers beginning to ruffle.

"So you're a thief too?" She nodded to her starly, who immediately surrounded us. "This is my domain; I'll teach you to steal from us!" _This is no use, we'll have to fight!_

_Raaaaaaaaw!_

One of the starly charged me, while another charged at Thunder. I dodged, only to be struck in the side by another one.

"Ahh!" I shook my pelt, watching as a few drops of blood flew across the room.

_Raaaaaaaaaw!_

I looked up in fright as the staravia flew at me. I jumped back, narrowly avoiding her, only to see her turn and fly back. _This isn't going to work!_ "Ahh!" Staravia collided into me, causing me to crash into the wall.

"Nate!" Thunder yelled.

I shook my head, forcing myself to stand. _She's tough. ...A lot stronger than any starly we've faced._ I looked towards Thunder, who was dealing with the starly. One was already knocked unconscious, while three others circled him. _That's right, you deal with them, and I'll take out Staravia!_

_Eeeeeeeerk!_

Staravia flew out of the darkness, charging at me with a powerful Wing Attack. I crouched down, in an attempt to dodge, only to be stuck again. "Gahh!" I let out a groan, forcing myself to keep standing. _Stop being weak!_ I watched as she circled me, preparing for a final attack. _If only I could get her on the ground..._

I growled, clawing at the rocky surface. _I have to go for her wings when she flies at me! How could I-_

_Raaaaaaaaaaaw!_

My thoughts were cut short when she charged me again. I wanted to move to a better angle, but I had no time. I crouched, fully prepared to pounce when she drew closer. _This is it!_

I let out a sigh then leaped, higher than I thought I could, landing just above her wing.

"WHAT!?" She screeched, flying swiftly in zigzag motions to get me off. I sunk my claws into her chest and bit down on her wing. "Get _off_!" _N-no!_ She flailed her wings in an attempts to stay airborne but swiftly descended due to her injured wing.

"Ahh!" Just before we hit the ground, Staravia used peck, causing me to lose my grip and crash into the ground.

"Nate!" I felt him nudge my shoulder. "Nate, get up!"

"Err..." I didn't want to move, for my body hurt so badly. I forced my eyes open, but I shut them due to the pain. _Err... I-I need to move..._ I managed to stand, it was wobbly, but I managed to do it. ...Only to collapse onto the ground.

"Nate?" Thunder was desperately pawing at my side. "I wish I had another Oran Berry... We need if for Weedle, but Nate... I shouldn't have used so many," he mumbled. Suddenly, I felt a gust of wind. I looked up, seeing Staravia standing above us.

"You are tough." I looked around, seeing the other starly painfully rise, "But we are stronger! I do not tolerate thieves. Stand still and I will end you peacef-"

"STOP!" _Huh?_

I watched as Plusle, and Weedle, ran in front of us. "I'm begging you to stop! They didn't do anything, I-I was the one to steal!" she cried. We stood in silence as the cheering pokemon sobbed.

"What? You mean?" Staravia started.

"I-it's my fault really," Weedle answered. He glanced around the room, his gaze becoming more and more guilty. "I got hurt while exploring and sent for help. While I was hiding, Plusle found me. She got lost, so I wanted to help her out." _How does that make her a thief?_ "I asked her if she had any healing items, and..."

"I went out and found a stash of berries. I-I only took the Oran Berries b-because I thought the feral pokemon would go hungry! Then I heard a loud screech and ran back to Weedle!" Weedle nodded, his face grim.

"I was going to escort her out when I was healed, but then I saw starly swarming us. We hid under the rock, while we were called thieves. I would have talked to them but..."

"You were afraid of being eaten," I finished. I groaned, using all my strength to stand. "So there was a thief, and that was Plusle."

In this instance, I didn't know what to do. Plusle meant well, but she knew what she was doing was wrong. Even then, she had the feral pokemon's well being in mind, but we could have been killed because of it, but Minun was waiting for her to come back. _How are we supposed to handle this?_

"I-it truly is my fault, Staravia." Weedle bowed his head. "If you're going to...kill one of us, then please take me. I'm just a Weedle." _W-what?!_

"B-Boss?" One of the injured starlys stepped forward. He looked different than the others, his feathers were a light shade of brown instead of grey. "I think they're telling the truth." She turned to us with narrowed eyes.

"I... I see," she muttered, her voice hoarse. "I will let you leave here alive. I will not tolerate any more stealing." She turned, getting ready to fly off. "I will not harm such a young child for something as foolish as that." Without another word, she took off, the starly flying after her.

The four of looked at each other in silence, before heading back to the guild.

* * *

"Plusle? Plusle!" Minun practically leaped on top of Plusle. "Are you alright? You're not hurt?"

"She's fine," Thunder replied, smiling happily at the duo. "She got into a little trouble, but it's all fine!" Minun sighed in relief, releasing his hold on Plusle.

"Thank you. I was seriously worried that I would never see her again. Ground types are an electric types weakness, you know?"

"It's awful," Thunder meowed. "There's no escaping it either." _I guess that would be scary, being weak to something you can't escape._

"Anyways, Chatot already took the guild's earnings, so here's 200 Poke. I also have a Blast Seed and a Pecha Berry for you. I seriously can't thank you enough! I'm so sorry for the trouble we've caused."

"There's no need to thank us," I replied. "We're explorers, it's what we do." He nodded, waving goodbye.

"C'mon Plusle, let's go home." _I'm glad that's over with._ I yawned, completely exhausted from today's events.

"Err... Team Abyss?" Weedle crawled forwards, holding a small pouch. _Weedle?_

"What's wrong?" Thunder asked.

"I wanted to give you your reward." He handed me the pouch containing a small seed. _Reward?_ "That's a Reviver Seed. If you faint in a dungeon, then that seed completely revives you."

"Weedle, we failed the mission. We didn't give you any Oran Berries, so why give us something so important?" I asked. He tilted his head.

"N-no, you didn't. Plusle did bring them to me, yes, but you saved me from those starly. I... I don't want to think about what would have happened if you didn't save us. I think you deserve it, so please, take it." I placed it in our bag, waiting a moment for him to change his mind. "I was the one to cause all this trouble... I think, for the time being, I'm going to stop exploring."

"W-what! Why?" Thunder asked. Weedle sighed, shifting his gaze to the floor.

"I've caused so much trouble today. I'm just a Weedle... I-I want to be an explorer, but I'm just too weak now. I'm going to go back to the hive and get stronger! I could have helped Plusle without your help, but I just couldn't. I'm not ready to explore yet, so I will return home."

"Oh... If that's what you want, then fine. When you think you're strong enough, come back to the guild and become an apprentice!" _Why is he getting so worked up over this? This is Weedle's decision, not ours._ "Maybe... Maybe you can start your own team."

"My own team?" Weedle nodded to himself. "Maybe when I evolve I will, but for now, I must return home. Thanks again for saving us, I won't forget it!" He inched his way to the ladder and gave a final wave.

"Hey, Thunder? Why did that shock you so much?" It shouldn't have been a problem, really. We probably would never see Weedle again, so I can't understand why it's such a big dead.

"W-well," he mumbled, "I thought he was giving up like I used to." His tail flicked with embarrassment. "I didn't want him to give up because... Because of how much better I am after joining the guild. I love exploring, so I didn't want Weedle to fail." _Oh..._

"I under-"

"HEY! TEAM ABYSS!" Exploud screeched. We turned to see him stomping over to us. _Why does everyone interrupt me?_ "You two have a VISITOR! HURRY UP so you don't miss DINNER!"

"Wait!"

'Visitor?" I asked. Exploud rolled his eyes.

"That's what I said, RIGHT!" We nodded, praying he didn't scream again. "He is in front of the building, so hurry and SEE HIM!" Without another word, Exploud stomped towards the dining hall.

"Visitor? Who would be here to see us?" Thunder asked. I shrugged and moved towards the ladder.

"I don't know, but let's find out."


	12. Kangaskhan'sStorage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate and Thunder take a trip into Treasure Town, meeting Kangaskhan and Ditto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This author's note will be on my Fanfiction.net account albeit worded differently. Both on my profile and the story itself.)  
> I am all caught up to the story on my Fanfiction.net account, DesolationPeak. That being said, I will be deleting all of those chapters and updating that story to this one's status. On Thursday the 4th, that story will completely be updated.   
> If there's any concerns or questions, please feel free to let me know before then.

We climbed the ladder leading to the entrance to the guild. I wanted to hurry, for dinner was going to start soon. _Who would be visiting us now? Or why would someone visit us?_ I didn't know, but when we exited the gate, we were shocked to find that brown starly from before.

"Hello?" I asked. The little bird tilted his head before hopping over to us. He had a small bag slung over his shoulder with a scroll hanging out of it.

"I am here on behalf of the boss." He handed us a little scroll. _What's this?_ He motioned for me to open the scroll. I stared at it for a moment then moved closer to Thunder so he could see.

_Dear Team Abyss,_

_I write on behalf of my flock. I am desperately sorry for the way we... The way I acted today. I am a bird of great respect, and I have to admit that I'm quite ashamed of myself. We've had problems with thieves before, but there was no reason to attack such a young child over a couple of berries. And you, I should not have given the order to attack you._ _I've been thinking of a way to apologize, but there is no way to right the wrong that I've done._

_If there is anything I can do to repay you, come to Mt. Bristle. I am in debt to your team._

_Again, I am sincerely sorry for the damage I have caused._

_-Sincerely Staravia._

"Oh, um... We didn't need an apology," Thunder meowed. "It was a misunderstanding." The, brown, bird shrugged, turning away from us.

"The boss's orders are absolute." He hopped a few feet away from us, turning toward Mt. Bristle. "Besides we were out of line." He leaped up and hovered a few feet above the ground.

I didn't agree with him. Staravia was the one leading them and she was the one to give that order, so the starly shouldn't be blaming themselves. _But Weedle did start this whole thing..._

"Well, Thank you." _There isn't much more I can say._ "Err... If you need anything, then you know where to find us."

The brown bird said nothing, choosing to swiftly fly towards Mt. Bristle. "That was...odd."

"Well, at least she's sorry," Thunder meowed. _More like embarrassed._

* * *

(The next morning)

"THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Okay pokemon time to get to work!"

"HOORAY!"

"You two, come over here." Thunder and I exchanged glances and followed Chatot towards the empty part of the room.

"What's wrong Chatot?"

"Nothing's wrong." Chatot tilted his head then sighed. "I want you two to help out with repairs to Treasure town. Do you two remember the storm a few days ago?"

"Yeah, it was the day before we joined the guild," Thunder replied. "But how could we help?"

"It is our guilds duty to help out Treasure Town. We have been sending our full-time exploration teams to help with the actual repairs, but now they must go back to exploring. With Team Razorwind, Team Vanity, and Team Magma having left us," he started.

"Wait, Team Magma left? Why?" I asked. Chatot went to say something, but he cut himself off.

"These three teams left to start their own guilds, that is all." He shook his head, letting out an irritated sigh. "Anyways, our other teams need to focus on exploring, so I need the apprentices to work on small things in Treasure Town. That storm destroyed much of the town, so I want you going down there right away."

"Alright Chatot, we'll go now."

* * *

(I don't think I need to describe the route to Treasure Town at this point, but if you want me to, then let me know)

"We can finally go to Kangaskhan's Storage," Thunder meowed. _That's right, he said something about that place a while ago._ "Our bag's so full!"

"So Kangaskhan just stores it all? For everyone?" _I remember seeing the stand in the distance, but it didn't look all that big._ "That's a lot of pokemon."

"Yeah, I don't know how she does it either, but she stores everyone's stuff." Thunder lead me over to a large brown boulder shaped like a kangaskhan that was right beside Kecleon's Market. The large pokemon was sorting items when she spotted us.

"Oh, hello dears!" She turned to us with a warm smile, setting down the items she was previously sorting. "What can I do to help you young ones today?"

"We have some items we want to store please."

"Of course sweetie, just hand them over." Despite Thunder saying we had a lot of things, he only handed a few items over to her. He gave her a couple of Oran berries, two apples, the blue gummy, and one Pecha berry; we still had plenty of items left over.

"So you store every pokemon's items?" I asked. Kangaskhan nodded, rubbing her sleeping child. "And no one tries to steal them?"

"Don't fret, dear. No pokemon is able to get past me, not at this stand, and with our partnership with the Kecleon brothers, it's nearly impossible." She pointed to the scarves we were wearing. "I only store guild member items; I could see your badge, and only apprentices have scarves like that." _Oh._ "Of course, I've heard all about Team Abyss. You two are getting quite popular around here, my little one has gotten very interested."

"Oh, that-that's cute." I didn't really know how to respond to that, but I did find it cute that her child had heard about us.

"Is there anything you need us to do, Miss Kangaskhan?" Thunder asked. "Our job today is to help out Treasure Town's damage from the storm."

"Oh, please dear, call me Auntie Kangaskhan." She closed her eyes, then gently raised her hand to her chin in thought. "Not here, Timburr already fixed up my shop, but you might be able to help Ditto." She raised her fist and pointed down the road leaning slightly over the counter, towering over Thunder and I. "He runs a dojo for training almost any pokemon, but it was damaged badly in that awful storm. Timburr and Excadrill have been working on it, but there might be something you two can do."

"Alright, thanks Miss- Auntie Kangaskhan," I said. _She_ is _the parent pokemon, so maybe having pokemon call her Auntie is normal?_

Anyways, we made our way towards Ditto's Dojo, taking a right just after the bridge and headed south. It took a few minutes before we arrived, but we came across a large pink building similar to the dojo. "Hey, Thunder, what shop is this?" I stared at the, round, shop trying to configure what it could be. _It kinda looks like a chansey, or maybe a blissey?_

"Um..." Thunder took a step in front of me, leaning his face close to a small sign. "Blissey's Day Care," he mumbled squinting his eyes to better see the sign. "That's all it seems to say. She must be out, like Electivire; probably because of the storm."

"Oh, well then I guess we better just go into the dojo." There was no point in wondering about the shop when our only source of info isn't here.

We entered the pink building, walking into a large, circular room filled with stone that had multiple tools and weapons scattered around. A large mound of logs and a pool of water lied in the front corners of the room. Two large caves stood tall in the back of the room, where just in front of them, a small pink blob stared at them.

"Excuse me," Thunder greeted. The pink blob trembled for a moment before rapidly spinning around. _That...must be Ditto._ The smaller pokemon stared at us with a creepy smile, not even making an effort to greet us.

"Err... We're Team Abyss, an exploration team sent by Wigglytuff's Guild. Is there anything that you need help with?" I asked.

Again the ditto didn't say anything, he just stared at us with a blank smile; however, I noticed that his body started to tremble frantically. "A-are you alright?"

Suddenly, the ditto's pink slime started getting darker and darker until it was completely black. It's form started to change and mold until it was about my size. It grew fluffy tufts of fur on its cheeks, head, and chest. Finally, bright shades of red covered the tip of its head and paws. _Huh?_ It stared at me with a smirk, its head raised and blue eyes fierce.

"W-what?"

"It turned into a zorua!" Thunder exclaimed.


	13. Ditto's Dojo

"Finally!" the fake zorua exclaimed, taking a big step forward. "I didn't ever think I'd see a _real_ zorua." It sat in front us, its tail wagging furiously. _Does my tail do that?_ I couldn't help but stare at the zorua sitting in front of me, suddenly feeling a wave of uncertainty shoot throughout my body. "Hey, when you evolve do make sure to come see me; I haven't seen a zoroark either." Within a moment, the zorua in front of me dissolved, turning back into the pink blob.

Momentarily, a feeling of loss swept through me. I couldn't understand why though, it was just a ditto. _Maybe I'm sick? ...Can pokemon even get sick?_

"Nate?" Thunder started, only to be cut off by Ditto.

"I didn't give any introductions." The ditto raised his arm, if you could call it an arm, and waved. "I'm Ditto, the master of this Dojo!" It jiggled around, keeping that big goofy smile the entire time. "Ah, my friend Wigglytuff sent apprentices to see me! Now, who are you?"

"...I'm Nate, and this is Thunder. We're Team Abyss."

"So you know Wigglytuff?" Thunder asked, sending me a worried glance.

"Of course! I trained with him many years ago, that's why I can do this." Again, like before, its body began to phase until an eerily looking Wigglytuff starred back at us. "It took _a lot_ of time to master this form."

"Wow... You really look like-"

"A carbon copy?" he interrupted. With a smirk, it turned back into a ditto. "All dittos can do it. We can turn into the pokemon we're looking at, that _exact_ pokemon." He turned to me. "It's not unlike your species, Zorua." _My species?_

"Have you met many Zorua?"

"Of course, he's staring right at me!" He laughed, turning back into a Zorua. _Yeah, very funny._ "Now, all jokes aside, are you new to Treasure Town? I'm quite famous around here."

"I've lived here for over a month, and Nate had only been here for a few days," Thunder explained. "I know you train pokemon now that Marowak left at least, that's what the locals told me."

"Yes, that's correct. After Marowak left, I thought I'd be a good contender for the part. I can, after all, transform into any pokemon I can remember!" _Really?_

"But I thought that ditto's couldn't turn back into the pokemon unless they see them?" Thunder asked. Ditto let out a joyous laugh, even a tear fell from its eye.

"Most dittos have to lay eyes on a pokemon to transform into one. If a normal ditto wanted to turn into a shinx, they'd have to be looking at them. After that, no matter how much they remember, they can't do it. That; however, does not apply to certain dittos."

"What? That doesn't make any sense," I stated.

"Oh, but you see, it's not natural. Long ago, humans tried to create a certain pokemon, a clone." _H-huh?_ "However, the plan failed and the result was genetically mutated dittos. These dittos were not normal and could do strange things, such as being able to reproduce with other dittos. I happen to be a descendant from one of those failed experiments."

"F-failed experiments? Humans..." _Again, humans are the bad guy. ...Was I like that?_

"Yes, humans did that a very long time ago. It's not a bad thing though, I benefit from it!" _...I'm not sure being a failed experiment is something you should be happy about. And what about the Ditto they did experiment on? ...What pokemon were they trying to clone?_ "Aside from that, are you two here to train? The dungeons are closed for the moment, due to the damage, but I don't mind training you."

"Dungeon? What do you mean?"

"Hmm?" Ditto moved backward, folding his arms behind his back. "Deep underground lies multiple types of dungeons, one per type of pokemon. Let's say that Zorua here wants to get better at fighting bug types, there would be a bug type dungeon he could train in."

"Oh, so they're like mystery dungeons?" I asked.

"Not exactly. The pokemon down there are not feral, and no money or items can be found down there. Every pokemon is a paid individual or another exploration team training. In fact, I make you store all your items away before you enter." _So it's about raw power. That could be useful. I don't want to rely on items to win a fight._ "If you two want to earn some extra money, feel free to stop by when my dojo is completed."

"We're not here to train. Our mission for the day is to go around Treasure Town and help fix the damage from the storm, but...not many places need fixing. Excadrill and Timbur seem to have done a good enough job already," Thunder meowed.

"Is that so? Then I'm sorry to say I can't help you. Excadrill has to finish the dungeons and he doesn't want anyone going down there." _Chatot's not going to be happy with that._ "He won't even let _me_ down there."

"O-oh, thanks anyway, Ditto."

"There's nothing that can be done, my friends. Don't let Chatot's harsh words get you down, no repairs are a good thing!" _I guess he's right._

I tried to feel comforted by Ditto's words, but nothing was going to make me feel good about Chatot's inevitable tongue-lashing.

* * *

"Ah, you two. Are you already done?" _Done? That almost took us the whole day._

We ended up staying with Ditto for a while longer. Initially, his deminer was unsettling, but I couldn't help but feel intrigued by him. He was telling us about how he was traveling the world to see all the pokemon. When he heard that Marowak was leaving and looking for a replacement master for the dojo, Ditto thought he would be a perfect fit.

"There wasn't much we could do, Excadrill seems to have done a good job," Thunder mewed.

"Yes, they have the most adequate team for the job," he mumbled. _...What?_ Chatot's eyes were narrowed, and his gaze was plastered to the floor. "I suppose that is a good thing."

"Chatot-"

"Hmm? Sorry, I am thinking of something of great importance." Chatot sighed and shook his head. "Well, there is no point in sending you two out again; there is not enough time."

"What should we do then?"

"Are you two familiar with the other guild members?"

"Like the other apprentices? We know Team Thunderpunch, Team Leviathan-"

"No, I mean members like Loudres, Chimecho, Audino." _I've seen them around, but I don't think we ever met them._

"I see them during Morning Rolecall, but I don't think we ever met them. What do they do here?" I asked. Chatot paused, seemingly not knowing how to reply, but his hesitance was brief. Immeaditly after his earlier mood seemed to switch.

"WHAT!" he squawked. "You've been here for a week and you still don't know the most important members!" He flapped his wings wildly, causing a few of his feathers to go flying in all sorts of directions. _Wow..._

"Err... Sorry Chatot, we just haven't had the-"

"Forget it!" He let out a long sigh and stopped thrashing his wings. "That's what you will do. Go at once, and meet the other guild members!" With that said, Chatot turned with a grumble and hopped towards the Guildmaster's room.

"W-wow, we really made him mad," Thunder stammered. _Did we?_ I watched as Chatot paced in front of Wigglytuff's room. His feathers were ruffled, and his beak was contorted in such a strange way.

"I don't think we made him mad, look at him." Thunder flicked an ear in confusion, before turning to look at Chatot.

"He does look nervous..."

"Yeah, and he was muttering something before; when we first talked to him." _He said he was thinking about something of great importance._ "Something's bothering him, but I don't know what."

"Maybe it's about the expedition?" Thunder asked. _It could be._ "Well, in any case, we better do what he asked. I don't want to make him even angrier."

I looked around, noticing a creepy looking stand in the corner of the room. I had seen it before and Croagunk, the owner, but we never had the chance to see what it was. "Coragunk's stand? We can go there first."

"Hello," I greeted, being the first one to walk up to the large stand. Croagunk didn't seem to be phased by my presence. "...I've been meaning to ask you, what is your shop?"

"Meh-heh... Meh-heh-heh." _Okay, that's creepy._ "Who me? My shop?"

"Y-yeah," Thunder said. I glanced at him, noticing the fearful look in his eyes. _He really is scared of everything._

"You two are not skilled enough to use my shop. Meh-heh-heh..." It almost seemed like Croagunk wasn't alive by the way he talked, he didn't even move.

"Not skilled enough? What do you mean?" That in itself was pretty offensive, we had been through a lot lately, so I couldn't imagine not being skilled enough to use his shop.

"C-can we know w-what you do then?"

"Meh-heh... Visit Xatu's shop first."

We tried to get another answer out of him, but he wouldn't talk. He just sat staring out into space, the only part of him moving was his cheeks, which inflated and deflated at some slow pace. _He has to be the most...weird pokemon I've met yet._

"O-okay then," Thunder started, "Audino owns a clinic here. I heard about it when we first arrived, it's below ground, so we can't visit it."

"Why not?" Thunder tilted his head.

"Remember, Chatot said apprentices aren't allowed deep underground." _I thought that was referring to sleeping quarters._ "We'll have to meet Audino another day." _But then we can't complete this task. ...Why would Chatot give us an uncomplete mission? ...I guess he was stressed out, but still._ "I saw a stand on the second floor, I think Chimecho owns it."

* * *

As we passed the job boards, I was nearly tempted to take one, but Chatot would have our heads if I did. Doing this, running around to meet other pe-pokemon, just wasn't interesting to me. I liked going out on adventures with Thunder, except for battling other pokemon feral or not. _I don't think I could ever get used to it._

"Chimecho's Assembly?"

"Hmm?" I looked up to see Chimecho floating just above us. "Oh, Nate and Thunder, what a pleasant surprise! I was wondering when you would come to see me."

"Hello, Chimecho," Thunder replied. "We wanted to know what your shop was."

Chimecho was another one of those pokemon I liked. He was polite and kind, one of the few pokemon in this guild. He cooked everyone's dinner, and he ran a little shop here. Compared to the other guild members, I felt like we could rely on Chimecho.

"That's great!" He laughed, making a slight ringing sound, before making us sign our names onto a slip of paper. _I still don't understand how they have paper but not glass..._ "Have you two ever wanted to have another member on your team?"

"Another member? We can do that?" I flicked an ear at Thunder's response. _I think we're fine the way we are._

Thunder and I worked fine together, so I couldn't imagine having another member. I didn't want to tell anyone about my secret either, having Thunder know is one thing, but I don't know how anyone else might react. _It would be for the best that everyone thinks I'm a zorua._

"Of course, you can have pokemon join your team here." Thunder turned to me with a grin.

"If there were more then two of us, then I'm sure that would help us in dungeons!"

"Well then, you need to start recruiting members," Chimecho said. _I'm not so sure..._

"Oh? But how do we start?" Thunder asked. Chimecho laughed, then floated closer to us.

"You could ask anyone now to join your team, of course. You have to then file with me, but there is another, time-consuming, way." _Time-consuming?_ "Sometimes, when battling in Mystery Dungeons, you'll encounter feral pokemon. You defeat them, then go on your way."

"But, Chimecho, this just sounds like an ordinary mission," Thunder remarked. Chimecho nodded.

"Yes, but when you defeat these feral pokemon you may gain their approval." _H-huh?_

"B-but they're feral! You can't reason with them, or anything!" I barked. Chimecho laughed.

"That is a reason why it is so time-consuming. It's rare, but every time you knock out a feral pokemon, you could gain their approval. That means they will no longer attack you; however, that does not mean they will join your team." Chimecho showed us a few gummies, then swiftly put them away.

"They may not be feral anymore, but they are not sane. Audino was taken liberty in helping these poor fellows. They need gummies, to get smart, so they can be re-integrated into society. Audino, with payment, of course, provides this treatment. Then, they are provided with education and will finally be allowed to join your team."

"That sounds like a lot of work," I stated. Chimecho nodded happily.

"It is, but think of how wonderful that is for the feral pokemon. This is especially nice for those who have fallen into the state of despair. There is one more way to have new members, but this is the least common one. Sometimes you will be rewarded with an egg; although, I think child abandonment is cruel." _C-child abandonment?!_ "The team is then left to raise the egg so they could become a team member, but this way is flawed."

"I..don't want to hear anymore," Thunder said. "We'll try to stay away from this method."

"Sorry to disturb you," Chimecho sighed. "But you can now have members joining your team. Any number of pokemon can become a member, but only four pokemon at once can be on your main team."

_I guess more members could be useful, but I think the two of us are fine._ I glanced at Thunder who talked happily with Chimecho. _From what it sounds like, Shinx live in large groups, so it must be more comfortable for him if we had more members. ...I guess if wants another member I won't stop him._

"Well then! Let's head down to dinner, you two can help me prepare it."

* * *

I collapsed onto my nest with a groan. _I don't know how he does that every day!_ Chimecho had to have some kind of super training to do that. Thunder and I could hardly keep up with him.

"I'm beat," Thunder meowed, curling up into his own nest. "Cooking really wore me out, we never did that in my clan." _Really?_

"What did you do?" Thunder raised a brow.

"We're predators, Nate. We ate pokemon as we caught them." _..._ "Although, I prefer cooked meat to raw meat. It has a much better taste." _That doesn't bother him? I mean, I ate meat before, but now it's starting to creep me out._

"I see..."

Would I ever get used to this world? The fighting, the adventuring, no humans, and now being a predator. What could have possibly happened to send someone like me into this world? _I'm not special, nor do I deserve it. I feel wrong._

I rolled over in my nest, finally getting used to the feeling of hay poking into my pelt. _Am I really a human, or am I just crazy? What if this is al some sort of..._ I sighed. _No. I can't think like that. I believe I was a human before, I had to be._ I looked at Thunder, who was already asleep in his nest, with a sigh.

"I better get some sleep too." With that being said, I lied my head on my paws and let myself drift into sleep.

* * *

A little later into the night a new pokemon wandered along the dusty paths. The pokemon tilted and stumbled, and almost fell a few times before looking around his surroundings.

"Am I here yet?" The pokemon asked himself. He stumbled over, walking in such an odd manner until he reached a mound on dirt on the corner of the intersection. "This must be the place, yes?"

He reached down, playing with the mound, before picking a clump on dirt up. The pokemon watched at the dirt sifted and fell between his fingers, with a laugh, the pokemon threw the bag he had been carrying down.

"This is! This is the perfect spot!" Reaching into the bag, the pokemon pulled out a small sign and some bright yellow tape. "Oh, I can't wait!"

He shoved the sign into the dirt, having to lift his body off the ground to do so, and wrapped an accessive amount of tape in the area.

With a proud nod, the pokemon tipped and waddled down the path, going back the way he came.


	14. Team Skull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thunder and Nate run into some familiar foes.

"Up and at 'em! It's morning!"

"Err... Good morning, Nate," Thunder mumbled.

Through our days at the guild, I was finally starting to get used to Exploud's morning calls. Don't get me wrong, it still hurts, but there's no ringing in my ears anymore, and I didn't have a pounding headache anymore.

"Morning, Thunder." I pushed myself up with a yawn and prepared to head to Morning Rolecall.

When we arrived, everyone was chatting excitedly. _I wonder what's going on?_

"Ahem!" Everyone went quiet as Chatot took a step forward. "As I was explaining, there is a lake far to the East. There are many aspects of that lake that are quite mysterious. We hope to uncover those mysteries."

"He must be talking about the expedition," Thunder whispered.

"And so," he continued, "our guild is planning to mount an expedition for the first time in a while." His words were cheerful and calm, but Chatot had an odd gleam in his eyes.

"An expedition, you say? Yes, please! Yes, sirree!" Bidoof chuckled.

"It's been so long since we've been on an expedition," Sunflora added.

"E-expedition? I didn't know we did those," Riolu fretted.

"Yahoo! My first expedition!" Pikachu cheered.

"That means you'll be PICKING MEMBERS for the expedition, right For ALL of US!" The cheers of our friends rapidly died down at Explouds yell.

"Over these next few days, we will choose the most worthy apprentices." Chatot paused, looking around the room at all of us. "Now, I want to make it clear that we don't usually allow apprentices on these types of missions. The Guildmaster and I have decided to make an exception this time."

"Do you think it's because of us?" I asked Thunder. He shrugged, not answering back.

"The chosen members will form the expedition party. Even our full-fledged members will be tested." Chatot sent us all a stern look. "Everybody, work hard so that you will be chosen to go on the expedition."

"Oh gosh! This is so exciting!"

"Yup-yup! I've yet to go on a real expedition! I would surely love to go this time!"

"Let's work hard, Riolu!"

"All right everyone, quiet down! I have another important announcement to make!" Everyone went silent again, but this time it was due to the seriousness in Chatot's voice. _What's going on?_

"You all remember my announcement a few days ago. A thief has done the unimaginable, by stealing a Time Gear." Chatot sighed, pacing slowly in front of us and glancing every now and again at the Guildmaster. "In Treeshroud Forest, the time has indeed stopped."

"Did they, perhaps, catch the thief?" Audino asked. Chatot shook his head.

"Earlier, just after that incident happened, a brave pokemon stepped up to catch this thief."

"What?" Noibat asked. "Did he not win?"

"This pokemon is known as Scythe. He used to be the leader of a clan of Scyther hidden deep within the Flustering Grotto. Scythe had an encounter with the thief, and he challenged him to a battle."

"Ch-challenged him?" _...I don't like where this is going._

"Another pokemon, known at Vaporeon, found him unconscious and close to death near Treeshroud Forest." Chatot let out a deep breath and took his place beside the Guildmaster. "She helped him recover, and brought him straight to Officer Magnizone."

"Hey, hey, hey! What happened!"

"Let me finish!" Chatot shouted. He shook his head with a huff. "Scythe cannot remember who the thief is, since he had massive head wounds, he has lost some of his recent memory." _Lost his memory?_

"W-wow, he sounds really dangerous," Thunder meowed. I nodded. _That's concerning._

"He is. That is why I implore you to take the utmost care when you go out on your missions. If you see anything suspicious, please report it to me, or the Guildmaster, immediately. If you cannot find one of us, there is always at least one exploration below ground. Scythe can't even remember what type of pokemon the thief is, but we know he is a male, and Scythe has managed to scar his eye."

"So what's going to happen to Scythe?" Dratini asked.

"Officer Magnizone will be escorting him here once he is more recovered. He wants to search for this thief and help our guild catch him." _Wait, we're going to find the thief?_ "Now, before any of you get any ideas, no apprentice will be allowed on the hunt. This thief is too unpredictable, only our full-fledged members will be on the hunt."

"Alright, everyone!" Almost as if Chatot could see our uncertainty, he leaped up and thrashed his wings. "Let's get back to work as usual!"

"...HOORAY!"

"Hey, Nate-" Thunder started, only to be cut off by Chatot.

"Ah, you two." He hopped over to us, seemingly in a better mood. "Today I would like you to check the job bulletin board and handle one of the missions. That would do for now," he chirped. With a shrug, I followed Thunder up the ladder.

"So they want us to work on the jobs listed on the job or outlaw bulletin board?" he asked. I nodded, noticing two new pokemon in the guild. "Then let's take as many as we can; that way, we'll be sure to be chosen for the expedition."

"Uh...Thunder?" I said, but he didn't seem to hear me.

"Then let's go check now!" As he turned around, Thunder couldn't help but stare at the two pokemon. "Look! Those pokemon..."

Hearing the commotion, the zubat turned around in shock. The bat almost forgot to keep his wings beating, letting himself fall briefly.

"Hey!" His partner, Koffing turned around as well, nearly falling over in astonishment.

"You two?!" His jaw dropped as he stared at us. _What are they doing here?_

"Huh, that duo?" I looked at Thunder, who had his head tilted in confusion. "Haven't we seen them before?" _Huh?_ _How could he possibly forget?_ I was just about to comment, but I could see Thunder's fur start to rise defensively. _Oh, he must be trying to play them._

"What are you doing here?" I growled, taking a step forward.

"Whoa-ho-ho!" Koffing cackled, sending us a glare. "I'll have you know that we're a real exploration team too!" _H-huh?!_ Zubat smirked, flapping his wings excitedly.

"Heh-heh-heh! What's so funny about an exploration team checking the job bulletin board?"

"What?!" Thunder exclaimed. "There's no way! You're thieves!"

The poison gas pokemon turned around with a big, arrogant, smirk. "What a horrid thing to say, but we are an exploration team. Although...the way we do things isn't always... by the book." He laughed, then floated closer to me. "But what are _you_ two doing here?"

"We wanted to become exploration team members," Thunder meowed. I glanced at him, noticing his sudden brave stance. "That's why we are training at this guild."

"What?!" Koffing gasped.

"You two?" Zubat snickered. "An exploration team? You, _you_ want to become a real-deal exploration team member?" Zubat's tone made Thunder's ears droop. _Don't let him get to you, Thunder!_ "And you, Zorua-"

"My name is Nate!" I growled. They might have been harassing Thunder, but I wasn't going to let myself be pushed around. The duo shrugged and looked at each other before turning, and pulled Thunder to the side.

"You, come with us!"

I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but judging by Thunder's look, it wasn't good. _I've got to say something!_ Just as I was about to step in, Thunder pushed his way between the duo and took his place beside me.

"I-it's true that I may be timid," he admitted. "But that's why I'm in training! So I can overcome my shortcomings!" While I could still see him trembling, I had to say I was impressed by his outburst. "Even now, I'm working hard to be the best I can be! I want to grow stronger and more c-confident, so that's why I want to be picked for the expedition!" Koffing narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, an expedition you say?"

"Heh-heh," Zubat snickered. "Well, effort only get's you so far. If you don't have talent, you certainly won't be picked for the expedition party." He glanced at his partner. "It all comes down to talent!"

"Yeah," Koffing bellowed," and no cheap tricks!" As he said this, he sent me a harsh glare.

"B-big talk!"

"Yeah!" I barked. "What talent do you have? We were able to beat you the first time!"

"Whoa-ho-ho, buddy. You only got lucky because we didn't have the chief with us!" _Chief?_ "Team Skull, our exploration team, has three members. Our chief is incredibly talented."

"And when he gets here, you'll be sorry! Heh-heh-heh!"

"Some talent, having to rely on your leader!" I muttered. Suddenly, the duo's nostrils flared, and they looked at each other in excitement.

"Speaking of the Chief, I think I can smell him now." _Smell?_ "Here's the Chief!"

A scent that smelt like something rotten mixed with death drifted into the room, growing stronger, making my eyes water. I wanted to cover my nose, but it was difficult with my paws. _That smell is disgusting!_ I closed my eyes due to the smell, not being able to notice the pissed off pokemon looming over me.

"Move! Out of the way!" Suddenly, a strong force of horrid smelling air covered my entire body. _Th-th-this i-is!_ The force of the gas was enough to send me flying across the room until I collided against the wall.

"Gahh!" The smell lingered over me as I writhed in agony. "This is hell!" _Why?!_ I couldn't even move, I was paralyzed just from the stench alone!

"Oh, Nate!" I heard Thunder yelp. "Oh... What _is_ that awful stench?" Behind me, I could hear the other apprentices cry in disgust.

"Eek! It's like rotten cheese!" Sunflora screeched.

"Hey-hey-hey! My eyes are burning!"

"That's foul, yes sirree!"

"That's just putrid!" Ducklett cried. I could even hear Chimecho ringing his bell in a panic. _M-my nose is on fire!_

"Move it! Or do you want to end up like that wimp over there?!" _D-did a pokemon do this to me?_ Whoever it was, they had a deep, intimidating voice.

"Oh no..." Thunder mumbled.

"Chief!"

"You sure showed them, Chief!" The duo exclaimed in joy. "You're the best.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You two, did you sort out any jobs that'll bring in cash?" _Someone, please help me..._

"They only had cheap tasks posted, Chief but..."

"It's got the potential to be something great," Zubat explained. Everything went quiet for a moment before the scary voice from before spoke up.

"What? An expedition from the guild? That does sound tasty. Let's get out of here so we can begin plotting." I heard his pounding footsteps fading away, but I could still hear Zubat and Koffing laughing.

"What are you all staring at? This isn't a public performance!" I could hear the other apprentices move around in a hurry, probably not wanting to provoke another situation. "Heh-heh, see you later wimps!"

"Oh, Nate! Are you okay!?" _N-no!_ Despite my every instinct, I forced myself into a standing position. "Oh thank goodness," he sighed. "At least you're not injured. That skuntank sure was strong!" _Skuntank? Is that the name of the pokemon who attacked me?_

"That was horrible," I muttered, still feeling light-headed. _Why didn't he ask if I was okay earlier?_

"That sure was tough..." _Yeah, tell me about it._ "I couldn't work up the courage to challenge him to his face! Even though he hurt you, Nate, I just couldn't do it."

"That's alright." _Why the hell would I say that!_ "You stood up to Zubat and Koffing." _I would have stood up for him! He left me writhing on the floor!_

"No, it isn't." He sighed, letting his ears droop. "I'm ashamed of myself... They're right, I am a wimp."

"No you're not, Thunder, and you know it." I sighed, not being able to stay too mad at him.

"Thanks, Nate." He nodded to himself. "You're right, so I'm not going to let myself be upset over this! I'm going to be cheerful and keep trying to become better!" He turned to the board with a purr. "Today, they want us to work on the jobs listed on the job or outlaw bulletin boards, so let's got started!"

* * *

**Beach Cave B3F**

As we walked through the dungeon, I couldn't believe how easy it was. Thunder lead the way with confidence, easily taking out the water type pokemon. _We really have gotten stronger._ I couldn't help but think about when I was attacked by those shellos last time, and how bad I was at battling then, not that I was good now, but that thought made me feel much more confident.

We were currently on a mission to find a lost phanpy on the third floor of Beach Cave. Again, I didn't understand why a pokemon weak to water types would willingly go into a water type cave. I guess I couldn't question it though, there was a pokemon in danger, and it was our job to rescue any pokemon in need.

"She should be somewhere on this floor," Thunder meowed.

"Yeah," I yawned, still exhausted from the gas. "And we've already been through a few rooms. Beach Cave isn't that big, so finding her should be relatively easy."

It wasn't long before we came across the long nose pokemon wandering around a large chamber. She was being attacked by a shellder, but Thunder was easily able to take it out. When we approached her, though, she attacked us thinking we were feral pokemon. We were able to convince her that we were, indeed, not feral and members of Wigglytuff's Guild.

(Back at Wigglytuff's Guild)

"Oh, Thank you for rescuing me!" The little elephant stomped her feet in joy, causing the guild to tremble.

"I-it was no p-problem," I stammered, finding it hard to talk with the shaking floor and my loss of balance. "It's our job to help you."

"Well, thanks anyways! I didn't think there would be so many water types, as you can see, I'm not that strong yet. Maybe I should have gone to the dojo first..." _The dojo? Ditto's Dojo? Maybe she doesn't know it's not ready yet, or there's just a dojo from where she's from._ "Here, please take this." _Huh?_

He handed me, using her trunk, a small light-blue disk. I looked it over a few times before handing it to Thunder, who placed it in his bag. _What is that?_

"That's the TM for Aerial Ace. I have no use for it, being a Phanpy, so when I found it in that cave, I thought it would be a good reward," she explained. _That didn't answer my question... Maybe I can ask someone what a TM is later._

With a brief goodbye, we left Phanpy behind and went to the dining hall.

* * *

"Hey, Nate?" Thunder asked.

"Yeah?" I glanced over to see him sending me nervous looks. _Did I do something wrong?_

"I was going to ask you earlier, but I thought it would be better to ask when we were alone." He stopped walking, choosing to sit in the corner of his nest.

"Oh, um... That's alright, ask me anything."

"Chatot said earlier that Scythe, that scyther from his story, lost some of his recent memories." I nodded.

"Yeah, by fighting the thief, right?" Thunder nodded, curling his tail around his front paws.

"Well, I was wondering if that was how...you lost your memories." _Huh?_

In truth, it did catch my attention when Chatot said that.

* * *

_"Scythe cannot remember who the thief is, since he had massive head wounds, he has lost some of his recent memory."_

* * *

"You think I..." _Could I have fought the thief?_ "You think I may have fought the thief?" I asked. He nodded.

"Well, you lost your memories, right? Chatot said Scythe fought the thief and suffered massive head trauma, causing him to lose his memories." _His recent memories. ...But that still could apply to me, but..._

"I couldn't have fought the thief, Thunder. Chatot said Scythe was attacked **after** the Time Gear was stolen. You found me days before that happened," I said.

"I thought of that. What if you _did_ meet the thief? What if you met them and found out their intentions and he attacked you?" He got up from his nest and started pacing in front of the window. "That would explain why would have no memories and why you know that move, Extrasensory." _That strange move? ...I forgot I knew that._ "You could have been somebody important, Nate!"

"Shh!" I hissed. _I don't want the other apprentices getting involved._ "That's a good point, but that doesn't explain why I used to be a human, or why I was stranded on the beach." Thunder stopped moving, a concerned look forming in his eyes. "And from what Chatot said, that scyther seems pretty beat up."

"But it could still be a possibility?" He flicked an ear. "I did think you were dead when I found you."

"Well, yes," I answered. "Until we know what happened, I... I might _have_ fought the thief." _I guess that is true, but I can't know for sure. I don't remember anything that happened._

"Then," he started, then shook his head with a sigh. "No, nevermind." Thunder stopped pacing and turned back towards his nest. "I know Chatot said not to get involved, but when Scythe gets here, let's see what he knows."

"Huh?" _Why is Thunder acting so weird all the sudden?_

"I'm going to sleep now," he yawned. "I'll see you tomorrow, Nate."

"O-oh. Then, goodnight Thunder." I watched as he slowly drifted off into sleep. _What was he thinking?_

"There is no way I'm involved with the thief, ...is there?"


	15. Side Story: Enter Scyther Part II

"Hey... Can you hear me?" The was a female voice coming from beside me, but I had no idea who it was. "Um... Mr. Scyther? I saw you moving a second ago. Are you awake, can you hear me?"

"I can." I opened my eyes, finding myself under a thatched ceiling. _Where am I?_ I forced myself into a sitting position, causing a small blanket to slide off of me, and glanced around the room.

It was small, circular, and compact. The bricks were white and there was one window, about the average size of an eevee beside, me. There was a small, flowing, pool in the back of the room surrounded by baskets, buckets, and a small chair. I glanced up at the roof with a huff. Just me sitting up in the bed was almost enough for me to touch the ceiling. _I doubt I'll fit if I stand up._

"Thank goodness," the voice sighed. I turned to my right and looked down. Beside me, a vaporeon, who looked rather small for her size, sat on a small nest. "I found you after the incident." _The incident?_ "You've been out for a few days, so I didn't think you would make it."

"Where are we?" I asked. _This pokemon could be deceiving me, so I'll to choose my cards carefully._ The water type tilted her head.

"We're in my brother's house, not too far away from the Challenge River," she replied, twirling her tail contently. "I found you just outside of Treeshroud Forest, thank Mew, the time there stopped." _Did it stop? ...The Time Gear!_

"When will your brother be home? I would like to talk to him."

"Huh? My brother? Why?" I pushed myself aside, letting my feet touch the ground. "Y-you should still rest!"

"I have important business to conduct-"

"And I have a duty to keep pokemon from harm!" she exclaimed. "You were so close to death when I found you."

"I am a warrior, I have dealt with much worse before," I explained. I looked around, noticing my pouch on a small table behind her. "Now, your brother?" The vaporeon huffed, then rummaged around in a bag beside the bed.

"This house belongs to my family and gets passed down to each generation. It was my mother's, then it went to me and my siblings. We all evolved and so, like all eeveelutions, went to find our places in the world. I became a nurse, while my brother decided he wasn't ready to evolve-"

"Time is pressing, Girl! Get on with it!" I growled. She flicked an ear, pulling out a few Oran Berries.

"My brother decided to stay home while I went on a brief trip to Treasure Town. It's a few days walk from here, but I needed supplies for an injured pokemon. He was the youngest out of all of us, but he knew how to handle himself, so I wasn't worried. But..." She paused, closing her eyes tightly. "But when I got back, he was gone." _Then she will have to make due._

"Where is the pokemon I fought, did you see it?" I closed my eyes in thought, attempting to remember that night. "I can't remember, so you'll-"

"With your head injuries, I'm surprised you remember anything at all," She said. She handed me the Oran Berries, which I cautiously took. "But don't worry, in time your memory will come back."

"We don't have time! That pokemon I fought _stole_ the Time Gear belonging to Treeshroud Forest!" Her eye widened in shock as she took a step backward. "I _need_ every ounce of information you can give me! I can't remember him!" I yelled, causing my throat to tremble with irritation.

"I-I... I saw a pokemon, but it was too dark to see him. He was taller than me, but... he must have been a bit small then you, maybe a head smaller?"

"But you couldn't see what species he was?" She shook her head. "Is there anything else you can tell me? I know I managed to hurt his eye..."

"No, he ran away too fast. I was too preoccupied in saving you anyway." I nodded, placing my claw under my chin.

"I see..." _So, this pokemon's fast. He's also a head smaller than me, his eye is scarred, and I don't remember him having wings... Just what species could he be? ...There are too many possibilities at the moment._ I went to stand up, but I was pushed down by the vaporeon. "What!?"

"You need rest," she said. I hissed at her, but she seemed unfazed. "Oran Berries restore energy, not injuries. When that effect wears off, you'll be in a lot of pain no doubt. Warrior or not, you are too weak to travel right now."

"B-"

"I understand the situation at hand now, trust me I do, but it is a nurse's duty to watch over her patients, regardless of who they are." _I... I guess she has a point._ "Maybe tomorrow, if your injuries are better, we can try moving around." _Moving around? This is an emergency!_ " And after that, we can make out way towards the police outpost."

"We?" I narrowed my eyes at the nurse.

"I must ensure your safety at all costs." She grabbed the blanket and placed in beside me. "Now, go and lay back down, go on! If you can't fall asleep, I can help you, I know Yawn."

"I suppose I could play along for a little while." With a sigh, I turned back to the bed, grabbing the blanket and lied back down, being careful as to not harm my wings.

In any case, it wouldn't make much of a difference if I had left. What would it accomplish? _What would I do if I ran into the thief again? I am in no condition to fight._ I didn't know anything about healing. so perhaps staying put will do me some good.

"What's your name?" She asked. "Mine's Tsunami, in case you're wondering." _Tsunami? Such a powerful name for a weak pokemon._

"My clan called me Scythe, but I have no official name." Tsunami smiled, then curled up in her nest.

"Then Scythe it is!"

I sighed and looked back up at the ceiling. _It would also be beneficial to tell an officer about this situation. It would be stupid not to, but..._ I closed my eyes and covered myself with the blanket. _If too many pokemon know about the thief, then they'll start talking about him. The thief will know at that point... I can't take that risk..._

"Goodnight, Scythe," she said, resting her head on her paws. "I will watch out for you."

With another sigh, I let myself drift off into sleep.


	16. unfortunate new members

"Everyone! I have an announcement to make before we get down to work," Chatot chirped. He turned, pointing a wing towards the ladder. "Let me introduce our new allies." _Huh?_

"Allies?" Noibat turned towards his partner with his head tilted. "Like more new apprentices?"

"Golly, I wonder what kinds of pokemon they are?"

"HEY!" Exploud screeched. He turned towards me and Thunder. "Looks like you aren't the newbies anymore!" I turned towards Thunder, ignoring Exploud's shouts, we never had a problem with being new anyways.

"You don't think-"

"Hey! Over here please!" Chatot yelled. Suddenly, a stream of thick green gas drifted into the room, effectively covering each of us. _Oh no!_

"Ugh! What stinks?!"

"Eek! It smells like rotten cheese!" Sunflora covered her face with her leaves, but the rest of us weren't as lucky. Her partner, Bidoof, nodded frantically.

"Yup yup! That sure is foul, yes sirree!"

"N-not this again!" _Why is my nose so sensitive?!_ "This is horrible!"

"H-how do you know?" Pikachu wailed.

Suddenly, I could hear scratches and loud thumps getting closer and closer to the group. _It must b-be Team Skull!_ I forced my eyes open, once the gas disappeared, and stared at the pokemon glaring at all of us. _Is that the pokemon causing this hell?_

The pokemon himself was large, bigger than me and Thunder combined, and had long fangs and claws. He had a long bushy tail that rested just above his head. His fur was a shade of dark purple and had white stripes along his body. I...didn't like this pokemon, especially with the way he was staring at all of us.

"It-it's them!" Thunder stammered. Chatot raised a brow then turned towards us.

"These three will be our allies." _He can't be serious!?_

"Woah-ho-ho," Koffing cackled, "I'm Koffing." Zubat moved forwards, bowing slightly as he announced himself.

"Heh-heh-heh, Zubat here. Glad to meet you." After that, the two of them moved aside, making room for the large pokemon.

"And I'm Team Skull's leader." I turned away from him, remembering how the gas felt. "I'm Skuntank. Remember it. Especially you two., Chaw-haw-haw!" _H-huh?_ I hesitantly looked up, noticing the harsh glare he was sending me and Thunder.

"What? You are already acquainted?" Chatot asked. He turned to our groups a few times before mumbling something. "In any case, that simplifies things! These three aren't joining us as apprentices, they will be lending their expertise towards our expedition."

Whaaaaaat?!" Thunder yowled, nearly falling over.

"What?" Chatot tilted his head. "Am I missing something?" Skuntank snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Chatot, sir, there is nothing wrong. That one there always overreacts to every little thing. He's a little...off," he growled. "Chaw-haw-haw!" Chatot narrowed his eyes at us.

"Hmm... Very well, then." He turned towards the other apprentices. "Anyway, the Guildmaster has made his decision. These three will be joining us on our expedition."

"Aw man..." I mumbled.

"However, it would be impossible to coordinate teamwork if we were to begin working together right away. Therefore, we have decided that the trio will live with us for the time being. Though it will only be for a short while, I ask _everyone_ to treat our guests with respect."

"Doesn't Chatot think something stinks about this? ...Literally?" Exploud said in probably the quietest I've ever heard him. Beside me, I heard Riolu gasp and his partner snicker.

"How can the Guildmaster stand this?" Dratini asked.

"Yup yup! I sure do hope this expedition ends soon!" _Ends soon? Everyone was so excited before._ I sighed. _Well, I don't blame them. That stench is putrid._

"Alright, everyone! Let's get back to work."

"...Hooray."

"What's this?" Chatot asked, looking more shocked than anything. "Where's your usual spirit?"

"You gotta be KIDDING!" Exploud stomped once, causing a large indent to form in the floor. "This STINKS! HOW ARE YOU EXPECTING US TO WORK WHEN..." Out of nowhere, the ground started to tremble. _W-what?_

"E-Earthquake!" Pikachu, and Thunder, yelled. As time flew by, the shaking started to get worse and worse, causing most of us to lose our balance, while others, Noibat and Ducklett, were able to fly.

"W-what?" I stuttered, finding it hard to think with the constant shaking.

"YOOM..." I could hear the Guildmaster making some noises, so I turned to him, noticing the upset look in his eyes. "YOOOOOOOM..."

"NO!" Chatot shrieked. "The Guildmaster-his rage is building!" Everyone looked at each other unsure of what to do. "It will be horrific! Quick, everyone be happy! Let's get down to work!"

"HOORAY!" We all screamed as loudly as we could at Chatot's command. Within an instant, the shaking stopped, and everything went on as usual. I couldn't help but stare at Wigglytuff as he happily walked back to his room. _I can't imagine his being so...strong. Thunder said so many great things about him, but he acts like a child._

"Urk! Something is definitely going on Nate," Thunder meowed. _Yeah._

"They're definitely suspicious, that's for sure." I shook my head with a sigh. "I don't know what they're scheming, but we better be careful." Thunder nodded, making his way towards the ladder.

"Well, let's keep trying to do our best. Now that we know they're going, I really want to make sure we get picked."

* * *

As we walked down the Easters path leading towards the intersection, we noticed two pokemon walking aimlessly around the intersection. One of them was a tall, light-blue, pokemon, while the other one was short and had long ears. _Are they lost?_

"Oh! Customers, are they not?" the little blue one spoke. Instantly, the tall pokemon turned around and walked dangerously close towards us. "Good day, is it not?"

"W-who are you?" Thunder asked.

"The new shop," he drawled on, "Spinda's Cafe is now open for business! This wonderful shop is overflowing with hopes and dreams, is it not?"

"Hopes and dreams?" I muttered. What was with these pokemon?

"THAT'S RIGHT!" The tall pokemon screamed while flailing his arms. The small pokemon laughed, then pointed towards the sign.

"Why not come in? Don't be shy now." I glanced at the spot he was pointing in with confusion.

"When did that get there?"

Just behind the sign, lied a large hole surrounded by stones. There were cracked, yellow, stairs that lead deeper underground, so much so that I couldn't see the bottom. _I don't remember this hole being here._

"Err..." Thunder peered down the hole uncertainly. "I don't really know about this, Nate. Should we go and find out?" _I'm making the decision?_ I looked at the hole, then at the two creepy looking pokemon.

"Well, we might as well check it out. We are exploration team members, after all, so we better make sure it's safe." With that being said, I lead Thunder down the tunnel.

We entered a large room with a wooden floor and multiple round tables. There were many pokemon in here, including Team Leviathan and Team Thunderpunch!, as well as a few pokemon we didn't recognize. The ceiling was covered in colorful ribbons and banners with what appeared to have footprints on them.

Barrels and crates were stacked along the walls, along with fresh new plants and berries that made the whole place smell nice. There were two bar areas on either side of the room. One was occupied by those creepy pokemon, while the other was run by an odd looking bear.

"Wow! This place is huge!" Thunder meowed.

"And now," the small blue pokemon announced, "introducing the owner himself, Spinda!"

With that being said, the odd-looking bear came wobbling out from behind the counter. I was a little worried at first, due to the way he walked, but he seemed to get around okay.

"Hello and welcome to Spinda's Cafe!" The spinds threw his hands up enthusiastically, then gave us a little bow. "I'm Spinda, and this cafe is a place for explorers to relax." _For explorers to relax?_ "It is quite natural to feel the need to refresh yourself and relax every now and again, and I am happy to provide this service. And today just happens to be the grand opening! You can enjoy yourselves at the Juice Bar or assist our fellow explorers by using the recycle shop!"

"Recycle shop?" I asked.

"That's the bar that me and my dear Wobbuffet run." His grin got wider as he lead us towards his shop. "I'm Wynaut, the-"

"That's right!" Wobbuffet exclaimed, folding a hand over his face.

"That idea came from yours truly," Spinda said. "It's my employees, though, that made this whole thing possible. I thought, one day, that explorers were throwing away too many useful items. Then it hit me! Why stop at just serving drinks when I could make use of these items, so I created a trading system so everyone can be happy!"

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Thunder meowed.

"I'm pleased to hear positive feedback!" Spinda smiled and clapped his hands haphazardly. "Why don't you two try it out? Come on, over here." He waddled over to the stand on the right and moved beside it.

"This is the centerpiece of the Recycle Shop. I'll bet you have a lot of items stored away, or in your bag, that have little use?" Both of us nodded. "Sometimes you have to throw out your items to make room, but doesn't that seem wasteful?" As he said this, both Wynaut and Wobbuffet flailed their arms in dismay. "Don't you think you could think there are explorers out there who desperately need them?"

"I guess so, but how are we supposed to give our items to them?" I asked.

"Well, one pokemon's trash is another's treasure, am I right?" _That...didn't answer my question._ "Now, you'll never have to throw out another item. You'll never have to say, "what a waste!"

"Wow, this really _is_ an amazing shop." _Yeah, it is pretty nice._ "Let's look around, Nate."

"Alright."

While we were talking with Spinda, our fellow apprentices seemed to leave. _I wanted to ask them about this shop._ There were a few pokemon left in the shop, so we could see how they like this place? _I don't really want to bother them though._ "Why don't we check out the Juice Bar?"

"That sound's great!" We moved towards the left bar, where Spinda was laughed and dancing happily.

"Welcome to the Juice Bar! Now then, what ingredients shall I use?"

"Use?" I asked. Spinda nodded, pulling out a small container.

"Well, I have to have ingredients in order to make the juice." _That's a little bit strange, but then again, this entire world is._

"What sorts of ingredients can we use?" Thunder asked.

"Oh, I can make all sorts of things! If you have a special vitamin, I can whips up a shake that boosts your stats. Or, perhaps, do you have a lot of apples and berries? If so, I can compress them all into a single shake, that way, you can carry more items if need be." _Now, that one is pretty useful._ "The only downside is that the drinks rot a little bit faster."

"Well, we have a lot of apples in here," I murmured while rummaging through the bag. "All of them?" Spinda nodded. _I guess if it's too much, we can just get two shakes. It beats carrying around extra apples._

"Shake it this way..." Suddenly, Spinda started rapidly shaking the container. "Shake it that way..." He danced from side to side as he shook the glass. "and stir it all around..." Finally, she spun around in a circle and slammed it onto the counter. "And it's done!"

We didn't know what to say after that, being too shocked by his little dance, but we eventually snapped out of it. "Can I get you two anything else?"

"Um... No, I think we're good for now." _We'll have to come back with that protein at some point though._

"Then, have a great day!"

* * *

"Ah! Nate and Thunder!" _Huh?_ We watched as Chimecho flew down the path towards us. "Perfect timing, I have something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

I know you don't have any new team members yet, but I wanted to ask you anyways, for the future. Before, after four members of course, extra pokemon would wait at this watering hole until they were picked for a mission, but now that the cafe has opened up, everyone wants to relax there. I completely understand that..."

"Okay, but what do you want us to do?" Thunder asked.

"I wanted to know if I could sign your team up for this. Only apprentice's teams are doing this, since full-time exploration teams run differently, so I wanted to know if you would be okay with your teammates rested here. When you get some, that is."

"Of course," Thunder meowed.

"Yeah, I don't have a problem with it," I added.

"Great!" A soft chime rang throughout the area. "I'll be sure to sign you up right away!"

**Author's Note:**

> Eventually, the changes I make here will go into my Fanfiction account, so anyone coming from there, don't worry.


End file.
